


My Love

by pikajo14



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Space, Betrayal, F/M, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Love/Hate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 45,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikajo14/pseuds/pikajo14
Summary: Betrayal...its the only word that Trunks can think of when his mind flashes to the person who used to be Son Goten. But when his sister, Bra, runs off into space, only be captured by his former best friend, she comes face to face with her destiny and the path that neither her or Goten can run from.
Relationships: Bra Briefs/Son Goten, Trunks Briefs/Mai
Comments: 81
Kudos: 70





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Omg, a new story? When was the last time this happened? Chapters should be posted every 2 weeks on Saturday nights. I actually have a surplus of them this time.

Vegeta grumbled to himself. Bulma was gone on one of her business trips, while her parents were off on one of their vacations, leaving him with not only Trunks, but Kakarot’s brat. He had never agreed to a sleep over, but Bulma gave the go ahead before he had a chance to step in. Now both boys were running around the living room, causing a mess.

The prince thought back to the cell games. Kakarot had been dead for 6 years now, but it didn’t feel like it had been that long. The kids were growing like weeds though. Vegeta growled as he watched Goten almost get the upper hand on Trunks in a silly earth game called chess. The boy frowned, backing away from the board. It was a good move. The prince wouldn’t have thought that a halfling would have this kind of mindset. Too bad it would go to waste on Earth. Kakarot’s harpy was fully against the idea of training the boy. It was a loss. At least, Trunks would get to fulfill his need to fight. There were bound to be beings more powerful than Cell sometime in the future. There was always a stronger foe, it made the act of training exciting.

Both boys yawned, it was getting late. Vegeta pointed to the stairs, following both boys up and watching them get into bed. “Dad, do you know any good stories?” Trunks asked. Rarely, did his father treat him to a saiyan legend or two. Usually, it was his mother who put him to bed.

Vegeta was about to say no, when Kakarot’s boy sat up. “I wanna know about saiyans. Momma doesn’t like to talk about them for some reason.”

The prince sighed in frustration. Now that harpy had gone too far. Kakarot was already blind. There was no way he was going to let another one of the earth saiyan’s children be as blind as the rest.

But what story to tell? He knew that Trunks wouldn’t want anything he had already heard, and the fact that if Goten was interested in saiyans, he had to have heard it from Trunks. As the prince thought over different legends, he finally selected a very old one. “Fine, but gather round and don’t fall asleep.” Both boys jumped out of bed, sitting on the floor in front of him. “Long ago, there was once a huge kingdom, covering a short solar system thousands of parsecs away.” Thinking it best, Vegeta sat on the floor as well. “This was a rare time for the saiyan people as they had taken their first Queen and only Queen. Her reign brought in more neighboring planets, growing her empire out more than any other saiyan ruler of her time.” Vegeta explained.

“Did that mean that they had no girls?” Goten asked, getting an annoyed look from the prince. He covered his mouth to stop himself from asking anymore questions.

“To answer your one question, there hasn’t been a female born into the royal family in a millennia.” Vegeta stated. “Anyway, this Queen had discovered a new power of our kind. During a great war, she fought many a warrior with unique abilities. Upon their defeat, she used a magic unknown to this day, to lock those warriors away within those stone. Each stone became a vessel for the power attached to it. 5 houses were established under these powers, each named for the cardinal traits of a saiyan warrior. Passion, Serenity, Pride, Knowledge, and Power. Each stone became known as the 5 relics with the powers of Fire that burned with the Passion of battle, Water that calmed one’s nerves on the battlefield, Air that gifted one to grow their knowledge of fighting, Ice that was an unstoppable force of Power, and Lightening, prideful and vengeful, two sides of light and dark.” Vegeta chuckled, the two kids looked too awake now. “It was even said that Ice became the power of the Queen until her death. She was the only one able to master and control that stone. But that’s only the legend.”

“Papa, what happened to the stones?” Trunks asked.

“No one knows, Trunks. Legend says that the 5 houses were separated on different planets and that the stones returned to their former selves as simple rocks.” He chuckled as his son pouted. “It’s only a legend, Trunks. It doesn’t mean that they exist.”

“But super saiyan exists and that was a legend.” Vegeta and Trunks looked over at Goten. The boy was looking down at the floor. “Gohan says most myths and legends are based in a little truth. He says it’s in the grey area.” Vegeta stood, ready to put them in bed when Goten spoke once more. “I prefer black and white though, they’re cooler to look at than grey is.”

Trunks laughed from his own bed. “That’s not what that means.”

Vegeta rolled his eyes as they finally calmed down enough to sleep. He sighed as he thought over his next move. More training or getting out the ham that Bulma had told him not to touch. He grinned. He would deal with her anger later. His stomach was already growling.

* * *

3 years later.

Trunks looked up at his baby sister. Bra was sleeping in his father’s arms as Goten walked over. The Son spoke first though. “I thought royals didn’t have girls.” Goten said, getting a glare from both his friend and Vegeta. The boy looked away before running off.

Goten had a smile on his face, hoping that his dad would be up to training him today, but instead, found his parents arguing about something. The boy frowned. He looked back at Trunks and his parents…they all looked happy.

“Goten!” Chichi snapped. “You need to go back inside and study. I leave you alone for a few minutes and you start goofing off.”

“But.” Goten began.

“You’re mother’s right.” Goku said with a smile. “You can’t be like Gohan if you don’t study.” Earth’s hero said, remembering what his wife said about Goten’s dreams.

The boy backed away from his parents, while looking down at the ground. “Can’t I train for just a little bit.”

“That can wait till later. After you finish your studies…” Chichi began to go on a long rant while Goten walked back inside Capsule Corp.

The boy shook his head, only to find Trunks had come down as well. “Come on, Goten, I’ve got some new games in. Wanna play?”

Goten smiled. “Do I!” The boy ran after his friend, heading towards a television so they could play, only to be caught by his brother’s hand. “Gohan?”

“Goten, I heard what mom and dad said. You need to go finish your homework.” Gohan said.

“But we’re not even at home.” Goten said, pouting.

Gohan sighed. “You need to be patient. Finish your work, then we’ll see about you playing, okay. Mom brought it here for you to work on.”

Goten looked away, tears pricking his eyes. “Why do I have to wait?”

“It’s good for you. You’ll see they were right when you get older. Come on, I’ll help you with it, so it goes faster. Would you like that?” Gohan said with a smile.

Goten looked away, pouting as he was dragged away from his friend. Why didn’t anyone ever listen to him?

* * *

13…Goten looked in the mirror. He was finally a teenager. This had to be the right time for him to start training. As he walked into the kitchen, expecting breakfast, only to come across the smell of hard boiled eggs. “Mom? What are you doing?” He asked, feeling confused.

“Oh, your father is taking Pan camping and I thought they could use some extra protein before they left.” Chichi said with a smile.

“Why does she get to go camping? I never got to go.” Goten asked, feeling annoyed.

“Gohan and Videl are out of town and Pan has finished up all of her schoolwork. It’s a nice reward for her.” Chichi said. “Now get dressed, you’ll have to go help out in the fields for…” She didn’t get to finish her sentence as Goten ran out of the house. She called after him, but he didn’t listen.

Goten couldn’t help it. He fell to his knees as he reached the middle of a small field. It wasn’t his family’s, but as he looked around him. The boy couldn’t help but feel like he was forgotten. Why was he even here? It made no sense. Why would no one listen to him? He was on the edge of a ledge, feeling as if he was about to fall forward into a riven of darkness. His insides crumbled, breaking him into millions of fragments. Wind blew around him, but he couldn’t feel anything. This was the reality of his world. There was those in the light. The people who got everything they ever wanted. Then there was him…a being left in the dark.

Goten felt his phone ringing at his side. His mother was still trying to call him. There were texts from his father as well. He sighed as he looked up at the sky. It was the same clear blue, but as the fracture inside of him grew, all he could see was clouds. No opening or freedom, this planet was a cage…keeping him locked away for all time.

A different ring tone came on, and this time Goten answered it. Trunks was on the other line. His best friend had called to tell him about some new game. Finally, Goten smiled. He took a deep breath. Maybe it wasn’t that bad.

* * *

2 months later…

“Goten, you remember Mai, don’t you?” Trunks said introducing his girlfriend to his best friend. He hadn’t seen Goten in a while. It was getting harder for them to get together, but they made it happen.

“Yeah?” Goten said, not really knowing what to say as Bulma walked in with Bra. The little girl was holding a small dolly, but it looked like she had been too rough with it as the head was snapped off. Goten chuckled. “You should be nicer to your toys.”

“Polly had it coming.” Bra said, pouting.

“Did she speak out of turn, Princess?” Goten teased the little girl.

Bra giggled. “Yes, she did.” She crossed her arms.

“So, it was off with her head.” Goten joked, getting funny looks from Trunks and Mai.

“Goten?” Trunks tried to get his friend’s attention. This was just kid’s stuff. It was best to leave Bra to her games.

Bra looked amused though. “She dared to tell me what to do. My stuff animals are all angry with me now.”

“Yes, keeping the peace must be hard, but you can do it.” Goten said with a smile. He missed what it was like to be a kid sometimes. To have no real worries…then again, his time as a kid wasn’t that great.

“You know, Goten. If you want to play dollies, you should forget being a man.” Mai said.

Goten looked up at Mai, feeling confused. “No reason to be snobby.”

“Goten, just come with us. Bra does need any more encouraging.” Trunks said, teasing his sister. The little girl looked down at the ground, almost like she was going to cry.

The Son felt annoyed as he remained in his seat. “Wow, someone’s being mean for no good reason.”

Trunks gave Goten a strange look, then looked back at his girlfriend. “Fine, play a stupid game, Mai and I are going to be upstairs.”

Goten didn’t watch as the other two stormed off. He only remained in his seat. To his surprise, Bra came up to him with a board game. He almost laughed as he saw the front. “Mall madness?” It wasn’t like he had anything better to do. If he went upstairs, Mai and Trunks were probably going to ignore him anyway. “So how do you play?”

Bra smiled. “Yay! No one ever wants to play with me.” She said. Goten watched her smile become a frown. “Mommy’s busy with work and Daddy’s always training or fighting some bad guy…and Ni-san doesn’t like me.”

Goten picked a piece for himself as they started the game. “Just give it time. Your family loves you.” Goten said as the girl handed out money. Even she looked bored of this game as set it up. “I have an idea, have you ever played Risk or Chess?”

Bra shook her head. “Nobody ever plays with me, so…”

Goten stood up, going to a small closet. He pulled out the old chess board and blew some dust off of it. “You can be white, and I’ll be black.” He set up the board quickly before explaining the game to her. Bra nodded and he started so she could get a general idea of the game.

The little girl lost the first game, but when they played the second, she began to get better at it. Goten hadn’t had to think up a strategy like this in a long time. The second game had them less than halfway done before Trunks and Mai came downstairs.

“He’s still here?” Mai laughed. “Oh, my Kami, what a loser.”

Trunks stared at his best friend before looking away. “He’s not a loser…I guess, we’re starting to change.”

“It’s okay to grow apart, Trunks.” Mai said taking his hand and leading him out of the room.

Goten stayed locked in the game until they reached an impasse. “It looks like neither of us will win. It’s got to be a draw.”

“But I’m so close.” Bra said, looking over the board one last time.

“I’ve got to go home though.” Goten said, watching her frown. He smiled down at her, moving a piece forward. Suddenly, Bra smiled as she won the game. He wouldn’t tell her that he lost on purpose. “Oh, well it looks like I’ve lost. You’re really good at this game.”

Bra finally ran off, looking happy with herself. Goten leaned back in his chair and sighed. No one ever looked that happy when they spent time with him. Instead, it all felt like a chore.

Goten sighed, standing up and not saying anything before he left. Everything had changed…no they had changed; he was the same. The world around him was moving, but he was stuck and stagnate. His nerves were buzzing as he stepped out into what appeared to be pouring down rain. Goten knew he should have stayed, but in the back of his mind, he didn’t see a problem. He didn’t matter to anyone. Lightning struck down in front of him, but he didn’t feel fear. Instead, excitement filled his very being. Each strike was like soothing in a way.

When he reached home, his mother came running out, yelling at him for coming home in the crazy weather. He was soaked but didn’t care as he was sent to bed without dinner.

Goten felt a little cold as he went to bed, listening to each crash outside actually made him fall asleep faster. He tossed in bed as his dreams took him far away from here.

He was in a dark cave. The walls barely even lit as he headed down a series of tunnels. A voice was speaking in whispers that grew louder as he entered a strange chamber. The boy moved forward, looking down at a strange yellow stone before a loud crash of thunder woke him up in a cold sweat.

Goten looked around. What a strange dream for him to have. He shrugged it off. It was just a dream. Nothing more.

* * *

2 months later…

Vegeta was pacing as the patrol sent them a call. Frieza had started moving closer to the milky way, meaning he was going to be a threat once more. He growled to himself as Trunks came downstairs. The boy grabbed himself a drink from the fridge. This meant that war was coming their way. He would do whatever it would take to keep Earth safe.

What he didn’t get was what Frieza was after. Why would Frieza been in the aging mines of Juno? It made no sense. But it looked like they would have to go investigate…but he was busy. Looking at how this was going, he would have to grab Kakarot and speak with the Patrol about all of this, meaning that Frieza could grab what he wanted and be out the door in minutes. They had to send a party out to grab the object. They could have sent Kakarot alone, but Earth’s hero wouldn’t know what to look for. Kakarot’s oldest son was off at a conference for his job and the humans were too weak.

Vegeta looked back at his son. “Trunks, I need you do something for me.”

The boy looked confused. “What do you need, Dad?”

“I need you to make a small crew up. I have a mission for you.”

Trunks grinned. Now this was the mission he was waiting for.

To Be Continued…


	2. Prologue Part 2

Trunks looked back as his friends as they walked down a dark corridor. His father had sent him on this mission, something dark was hiding within these walls. Marron and Mai gave him a smile each as they went deeper into a maze of caves. “We have to be getting closer.”

Goten sighed. Part of him had been excited for this trip, but so far, it had been nothing but boring. His mother reminded him that he was to go back to his studies when they were done. Apparently, whatever they were searching for this Frieza guy wanted. Vegeta probably wanted Trunks to have this power, that’s what it had to be. Years of training had prepared his best friend for this day. He drew closer, feeling a pang in his chest. There was something off about this place, almost like he had seen it before.

“So, some bad guy wants this thing. It must be dangerous.” Marron said, looking through her notes. She had been learning a lot about alien languages as of late.

“Yes, my father must meet with the Patrol or else he would have come. There is no time. War is coming and we’ll need to prepare.” Trunks answered, turning back to his best friend. “Goten, can you use your ki to light the way?” Trunks almost laughed as Goten gave him a glare. “Come on, man. You can help out a bit.”

“He’s out of practice.” Mai said, cleaning her gun at her side. “I mean, he can’t even win a soccer game.” She teased her boyfriend’s best friend.

Goten blushed and looked away. He was only trying out for the team, but ended up getting knocked out from a kick to the face early on. “I…I’ve been busy with my studies.” He answered.

“But I know you can easily make an energy ball.” Trunks said with a smile. “I need you, Goten.” The heir pulled his girlfriend closer to him in the tunnels. He urged Goten and Marron to stay together, but Goten wasn’t really being a team player. A distance was growing between them and he hoped this trip would help. But as his father once said, this was a part of life. All of them were growing apart from the way they had been in childhood. Trunks couldn’t remember the last time he had hung out with Goten before this trip. It had to be a month ago, on the heir’s birthday. Sure, he spent most of the day with Mai, but Goten told him it was okay. They went to different schools, unlike himself, Mai, and Marron, the Son’s hadn’t been able to afford private tutors for Goten. Instead, the Son went to a public school.

Goten felt a pang in his chest as he lit his ki, leading them down a dark hallway. The light was faint as the cave grew darker. So dark, that none of them saw the pit falls in front of them.

Mai stood up, dusting herself off. “We should have just brought a flashlight.”

“You know that anything electronic doesn’t work in this place.” Marron said, putting her book back away. It was useless in the darkness. She turned to Goten. “Maybe Trunks should try. He does have more training.”

The Son looked back at the group, leaning against a wall. He heard what they were talking about, but that didn’t have his attention. Goten began to look around as a small voice trickled into his mind. The Son turned around, looking at the wall next to him. He pushed on it, feeling it open up. Not looking back at the others, he jumped into the other room, hearing the voice grow louder. It was pitch black in here. He walked forward, feeling a strange stirring in him. As the Son walked forward, it looked like there was light ahead. He found himself in a large room, gold trinkets and jewels glimmered in the strange light. Wasn’t this place abandoned? Why was there light here but nowhere else?

Goten turned quickly as he sensed another. His eyes landed on a frost demon. The stranger looked familiar. “Who are you?”

The stranger grinned. “How odd? A saiyan who doesn’t know my name. What are they teaching you on Earth?”

Goten backed away. That voice. He had heard it once before, only as a child. “Frieza…” The tyrant had been given back life after the tournament of power. “You should leave here. I’ll fight you.” He said attempting to power up, but for some reason, he couldn’t even go to super saiyan in here. The place was zapping his power.

Frieza chuckled. “You? Compared to your father, you’re weak. Even Vegeta’s runt is stronger than you.” The frost demon smirked as the boy blushed in embarrassment. “I can see it; your eyes tell me everything.”

“You know nothing.” Goten ran forward to attack but was pushed back with his throat in the frost demon’s grasp. He struggled against Frieza but found he couldn’t move. He growled. “It’s not my fault!” He snapped.

The frost demon chuckled. This was interesting. “I’m surprised. Why wouldn’t Son Goku want his child trained, unless he saw you as useless. Powerless. Maybe even a disappointment.”

“Shut Up!” Goten snarled.

“You’ve been shut off, pushed to the side, even tossed away like you were trash. Just look at your best friend.” Frieza said, thinking over every word and reveling in the way the boy responded to him.

“What about Trunks?” Goten shouted.

“That boy has everything you could ever want. Power, pride, respect, even a loving mate. But at every turn, you’re pushed down for him to rise. You have to see it.” Frieza stated. Goten stared back at him speechless. “You’ve been pushed down, forced away from the action, made to feel less than those around you. You don’t have to hide it. These caves are interesting in that way. Showing us different sides of ourselves. Trunks stole your glory. Didn’t he cheat to win against you in the tournament.”

“We were kids.” Goten stated as Frieza let him go, seconds later, the light faded away. Leaving him locked in darkness with the tyrant.

“But don’t you think that soured your father’s opinion of you. The possibility of becoming a fighter was your dream, was it not?” Frieza said, keeping his back to the boy. Goten was an open book to him. “Instead, you’re locked away to become something you despise. You want adventure and respect…and do I detect a yearn for power?” He chuckled. “You’ve stopped trying, cause you’ve been shackled by those you would call friends. They toss you deeper into the pit of pain and suffering all for their own benefit.”

“What about it?” Goten trembled. He shouldn’t be listening to this, but the frost demon’s words were almost hypnotic.

“None of those fools are your comrades. They only care for themselves and their own power. You have potential. More than most.” The boy touched a nearby wall, lighting the room again. This time, Frieza smirked as he turned back to the boy. This was better than he hoped. “You could leave Earth and never go back. Learn how to be yourself and take what’s rightfully yours.”

“Mine?” Goten said, feeling a chill.

“Deep within the cave, something is calling to you and you alone. It’s yours, Son. Take it. Claim it. Before they take it away from you forever.” Frieza said.

“I…I don’t understand.” Goten said, feeling nauseous.

“What your friend seeks to destroy will only divide you further if he gets what he wants. He’ll only call you to fuse after that…then again, that’s the only reason you were really called out here, wasn’t it? But if you were to take the relic and gain its power, then you would prove them wrong.”

“But I can’t steal…” Goten’s mouth went dry. “Relic?”

“The relic belongs to you. Don’t you want to feel that power? Prove them all wrong. Shut down your enemies, Son. Break your bonds and leave them behind. The bond you share with your so called friend, is only holding you back. What have you ever benefited from it?” Frieza chuckled.

Goten tried to think, but he couldn’t think of anything. Instead, it felt like the walls of the cave where laughing at him. Mocking him for being so blind. “Trunks is my friend.” The laughter grew louder. The walls were screaming at him now.

“Your friend? When was the last time he did anything for you? How much longer must you wait to get what you truly deserve.” Frieza began to laugh as the boy began to run. “I think that went well.” He said to himself as he lost view of the boy.

Goten kept running, even though he couldn’t see. He tripped, leading him to a large room. He walked forward, finding a strange stone on a platform. It spoke, small whispers bounced off the walls of the cave, but instead of fear, he felt drawn to them. It was just like his dreams. The yellow stone was glowing on the alter, but the voice dug into his head, speaking to him just as Frieza had.

Goten heard a shout. Goten looked up, finding Trunks, Mai, and Marron. They seemed surprised to find him here. The voices in the stone grew louder.

“I thought you went back to the ship.” Marron teased.

“We found another light source.” Trunks said, grabbing some leather out of his bag so he could wrap the object. “I’m surprised you found it. I figured we would find you later.”

Goten felt the sting from those words hit him. “So, none of you were worried. None of you even cared I was missing. Were you?” His heart tensed as he looked back down at the stone. He could feel the ground under him pulsing.

“Don’t be so whiny about it.” Mai said.

Goten looked over at Trunks. His friend looked more annoyed with him then worried. The wave came crashing down. His insides twisted as he realized what all of this meant. This was his future. There was no going back. It was time to take what was his. “How about you tell that whore of yours to shut up?”

Mai stepped back as Trunks growled. “Take that back, Goten.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Goten said, remaining in place. “I’m not taking her shit anymore. She can either shut up or…”

“Don’t act stupid.” Trunks said, looking at his friend. “Tell Mai your sorry and…”

“Ah, yes. Classic Trunks, telling me what to do.” Goten snapped.

“Goten, you should calm down.” Marron said, only for Goten to turn to her.

“Don’t act so superior just cause your family got money from Trunks’s years ago.” Goten grinned darkly. He could feel his body changing as the stone continued to whisper to him.

“That’s enough Goten!” Trunks was red with anger. He was going to beat some sense back into Goten when they got back to the ship.

Goten chuckled. “What, don’t like that I’m not yielding to you. Get used to it.” The Son reached forward to grab the relic. It was time.

“Goten, we can talk about this later! Don’t touch it! Wait a minute.” Trunks felt panicked. They couldn’t fail this mission because Goten was acting like a drama queen. “We don’t even know what that thing does! Frieza wants it for evil, that means its bad news.”

Goten chuckled. “Yes… bad news, evil…I guess I can get used to that. I’m not waiting anymore, Trunks. You never need me. You never even cared.” The Son felt everything inside of him snap as he grabbed the stone. A dark light flashed as black lightening engulfed him. The power surged under his skin. He walked out, not noticing that his hair and clothing had changed. Where there had been longer hair, it was now spikier on one side. Where there had been a gi, now there was dark saiyan armor and a tail.

Trunks backed away as his friend glared at him. “Goten…don’t do this…we, we can fix this.” This wasn’t right. What was going on? “Goten…I’m…You’re my best friend.”

Goten growled. “Don’t even pretend.” He almost laughed. “Everything you say is nothing more than a lie.” Mai pulled a gun on him. “There’s always been a line between us. A growing riven that can never be bridged. You’ve always been loved. I’m the stupid sidekick, remember.?” He reached forward, sending volts Mai’s way, shocking her and sending her to the ground. “Oh, look you finally learned to shut up. That’s a good look for you.”

Trunks looked over at Marron. “Get out of here. I’ll get through to him.” The heir knew there had to be a way. Their bond had to hold the key. Maybe he should have been a little nicer to Goten on their way here…but he was so focused on the mission. He had been so focused on his own life. Why didn’t Goten try to talk to him before? “Goten!” He shouted after his friend, finding Goten exiting the cave. “Stop!” Trunks froze in place as he saw Frieza. The frost demon was grinning. “Goten, get away from him!”

Frieza chuckled. “See, he’s here to try and control you again. To push you back down so you can keep bowing to his every whim. But I see it. You’ve taken your power. I told you, break the bond. Destroy it and come with me. I’ll give you everything you’ve ever wanted and more, General.”

“Don’t listen to him Goten. We can still fix this. We can defeat Frieza together! We can fuse…” Trunks said frantically. The heir was grasping at straws. His best friend wasn’t even recognizable at this point. He could see it in Goten’s eyes…this was the end.

Goten made a blade of lightening ki, there was a flash…making the bond between them visible. “No, Trunks…we can’t. I won’t. Not this time.” He jammed the blade upward, snapping the bond and sending both of them to their knees as a shockwave went through them from the broken bond.

Trunks wanted to scream. It felt like part of him was being ripped out. He stayed on the ground, passing out from the pain…only to be woken on his ship. He found Mai and Marron, both looking somber. Trunks shook as he thought back to the planet…the cave… They left him alone, letting him digest what had happened. “Goten…I…I still don’t understand…why?”

* * *

They landed back on Earth a few days later. Trunks felt so betrayed as he entered his house. How did he face his father? Goku? Chichi? Gohan? They were all waiting for them. His mother gave him a smile, even standing to hug Mai.

Marron ran to her parents in tears, causing everyone in the room to look confused.

Vegeta stood. “Did you find it, Trunks? We need to destroy it.”

Chichi also stood up. “Goten needs to get back home so he can study.”

“He’s not coming back.” Trunks said flatly, walking over to a picture of him and Goten on the wall. They were making funny faces at the camera. In one swift movement, he grabbed the frame, tossing it down to the ground and breaking the glass.

“Trunks, there’s no reason to break things.” Bulma said, but noticed a change in her son. “Trunks, what’s going on?”

Gohan walked forward, picking up the photo. “Where’s Goten?”

“He can’t run from his studies forever.” Chichi said as Trunks shook.

“I…I thought everything was fine…But, it’s not. We can’t go back.” Trunks stated.

Vegeta detected his son’s somber tone. “Frieza got what he was looking for, didn’t he?” Trunks nodded.

“It’s okay. Gohan and I can always…” Goku began.

“Goten stole the stone for himself.” Trunks stated. “He…betrayed me…us…everyone. I…I just want to know why?!” He shouted.

Goku froze in place as Chichi put her hands over her mouth. “Goten wouldn’t do that…he’s a sweet boy.”

Trunks tried to think back, but his mind was hazy from when their bond had been severed. “All I can remember is that he took the stone, then severed our fusion bond. I can’t even sense where he is anymore.”

Mai sat down. “You don’t remember the weird lizard guy?”

Trunks looked back at his girlfriend. “What lizard guy?” He found he wasn’t the only one looking at Mai.

“When Marron and I found you outside the cave, he was dragging Goten away. I didn’t get a name.” Mai answered.

“Frieza!” Vegeta stated. “I didn’t expect him to go himself.”

“He stayed quiet for a while.” Goku said.

“That’s because he’s stayed away from Earth, Kakarot. I knew he was getting close to something. That’s why I sent Trunks to retrieve it. If your boy has taken the power and left with Frieza, then he’s a traitor.” Vegeta said back.

“But why would Goten do this? He…” Chichi began as Jaco walked into the Briefs’s home.

“Jaco, what brings you here?” Bulma asked.

The patrolman sighed as he pushed a button on a what appeared to be a watch. A screen popped up, showing a strange planet. Goten appeared on screen, killing civilians. A child screamed as he cut it down, a look of no remorse on his face. There was a chuckle from the recording. _“You’ve done well. I should have guessed you would learn fast.”_ Frieza said, sounding amused.

 _“I still have more to learn, Lord Frieza.”_ Goten said, sending a large charge of the black bolts upward, causing escaping ships to explode.

 _“Yes, of course you do. The relic stone has infused into your body. You are it’s keeper now.”_ Frieza said, listening to the screams. _“You know, some saiyans are made for study. Some are made for battle, but few are made for war. War is where you belong, Son Goten. Its more than you could ever wish for, is it not? Strike down your enemies and bring a new age to the galaxy by my side.”_

 _“Yes, Master.”_ Goten smirked. _“As you said…I belong in the darkness.”_ Frieza backed away from the screen. _“No one will stand in my way again. I will reach my goal. The ice will rise from the darkness and conquer.”_

The transmission ended, leaving the room speechless. Trunks growled, running upstairs in his rage. There was a crash as he broke something by his sister’s room, waking Bra from a nap. She looked up at him groggily. “Ni-san?”

Trunks didn’t know how to react. His best friend…his worst enemy had now been revealed. “No matter what it takes. I will destroy you. I swear it, Goten.” His voice was low as his sister ran downstairs.

Bra ran up to her dad, pulling on his arm. “Daddy, I want to train.”

“No, Bra. You’re a little girl. You’ll just get hurt.” Bulma said, picking up her daughter. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to get mixed up in the insanity that was unfolding. “Let’s try a tea party instead. Won’t that be fun?”

Bra pouted as she looked around the room. No one looked happy. “Mommy, why can’t I fight?” Bra asked as she was brought to the kitchen.

“It’s too dangerous. Besides, don’t you want a nice boy to notice you someday? If you have bruises, they might run away.” Bulma said as Chichi walked in. The housewife looked white as a sheet. “Now, why don’t you go play, okay.”

“But you said a tea party…” Bra said.

“That can wait.” Bulma said, walking away.

Bra looked down, speaking sadly to herself. “Why do I always have to wait?”

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, from here the prologue is finished and we can roll into the rest of the story. Goten was 13 during these events and Bra is 4. When we meet again, it will be Bra's 18th birthday. See you soon.


	3. Chapter 1

Bra sighed as technicolor streamers were hung outside. Today was her 18th birthday, but she had little to show for her age. Her father and brother were rarely home, off fighting in an endless war with Frieza’s men. Trunks seemed to be on a hunt for the frost demon’s second in command, but the heiress had no clue why. It looked like they were going to miss out on her birthday.

She wished to go with them more than once. Pan always got to go into space, but the heiress was always left behind. Bra sighed again, looking at all of the pastels with the need to gag. None of this felt right. She just wanted to get out and see the world if only for just a bit.

“Bra, could you help set up?” Bulma said with a frown. “Everyone will be getting here soon.”

“Do we have to do this?” Bra asked, looking up at a few balloons.

Bulma seemed shocked. “We do this every year, are you telling me that you don’t like parties all of a sudden?”

Bra gave her mother a flat look. How could she even begin to explain it? “I’m just tired.” She lied as she stood from her chair. The sun was high as she headed inside. The gravity room had left with her father, giving her no chance if she wanted to train. The idea came to her more than once, but she never got to try. Just because she was the youngest and a girl, the idea was pushed away without a care.

As the heiress headed upstairs, she couldn’t help but pass by one of the guest rooms. They mainly used it for storage, since they really didn’t have an attic. One of the nice things about being rich was having so much extra space for stuff. It wouldn’t hurt to walk down memory lane.

Bra grabbed the door, only to find it locked for some reason. She frowned, before opening her bag. She had seen this technique used before in movies. Taking an old credit card, she slid it between the door and the wall, waiting until she could get the right angle before listening to it click. Bra wondered why they even had this room locked as she walked inside. Dust and cobwebs appeared in the corners. She cringed. Just because this was a makeshift storage bin for her family, didn’t mean they should have let it get this dirty.

The heiress walked forward, opening an unlabeled box. She grabbed the first thing inside, an old, dusty picture frame. She felt confused as she wiped a layer of dust off, only to reveal a small boy next to her brother. It was strange…why did the boy’s hair look like Goku’s? She couldn’t remember much from her childhood, just layers of disappointment from hours of being forced to play dolls alone. She ran her finger over the boy’s face before putting the frame down and grabbing another. This time, her brother was a teenager. This had to be taken when she was 3 or 4. The other boy had grown, having longer, messy hair. The two of them looked like they were enjoying a one of Trunks’s birthdays. She grabbed another, finding Mai in it with her brother’s friend and Marron. This had to be when she was 4 then. A year after the last photo.

Bra felt confused. Why hadn’t she heard of this friend of her brother’s before? Surely, they would have talked about Gohan having a brother or at least the guy would visit? There had to be more going on. Part of her wanted to laugh as she found a full photo album, why hadn’t her brother ever brought this guy over? He looked like a lot of fun. Years of what looked like pranks and laughter were all contained in the books before her. She dug deeper into the box, finding more photos, but finally she had a clue as to the name. A different birthday, but this time, a name was written on a cake. “Goten?” She said the name, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Bra felt almost giddy, as if she knew a forbidden secret. She turned red, as she looked down at the teenage Goten in the photos. If he looked like that at 12 or 13, what did he look like now? She blushed even redder, only to jump as the door was opened after her.

“Bra? What are you doing in here?” Trunks said, happy to be home after another string of disastrous missions.

“Trunks!” Bra almost leapt with excitement. “When did you get home?” She asked, looking over the sword on his shoulder. It looked a little singed…as if something had crackled against the metal more than once. Bra felt a little bit of envy, before her brother answered.

“Like I would miss my baby sister’s birthday.” Trunks teased, only to freeze in place as he noticed the box she had been in. “Bra, what have you been doing in here?” He asked, not wanting to sound too angry. “Those are my things.”

“Oh, I just wanted to take a walk down memory lane.” She pulled out a picture with the boy in it. “Why doesn’t he ever visit anymore?” She asked out of curiosity.

Trunks felt a sting in his chest. “We grew apart.” The heir lied. How could he tell her the truth about his greatest enemy?

“Really? You both looked so close. Did it happen cause you started dating Mai?” Bra asked, almost teasing her brother.

Trunks felt a stab of anger. “No, it has nothing to do with Mai.” He almost snarled.

“But he looks happier when it’s just the two of you.” Bra said, almost laughing at the image of Goten attempting to look tough for the camera. The boy had to be at least 9.

“How about you keep your nose in your own business?” Trunks snapped. He grabbed the photo from her hands, breaking the frame and crumbling it quickly. He attempted to blast the entire box, but Bra picked it up. “Put it down, Bra.” His voice was stern. The heir thought that his mother had burned these stupid photos, now he would make sure that no one ever saw them again.

“But Trunks…” Bra had no time to say anything else as her brother took the box and destroyed it. The heiress stood in shock. How could someone hate another person so much? “How could you do that?! He was your best friend!”

“Don’t speak about things you don’t understand.” Trunks growled. “It was trash, nothing more.”

He turned his back to her, preparing to leave the room. “I can see why you grew apart. If you can be this stubborn…” She began, only for him to spin around, snarling at her. “Trunks?”

“Don’t tell me how to live. That foolish bastard has no place here. Nor will he ever again.” Trunks left the room in a huff, leaving Bra there. He needed to go punch something as soon as possible.

Bra leaned down, stepping on the fire. Even through the blast, she was able to save one photo. She looked down at the charred sides but figured that couldn’t be helped. She sighed. “That sounds like my brother. He can never admit when he’s wrong.” She pocketed the picture before leaving the storage room and heading towards the gravity room. She could already hear her father and brother arguing. She smiled. “Daddy!”

Vegeta turned to find his daughter moving closer. “I see that you’ve grown older.” He could tell that his son wasn’t in the best of moods, but pushed those thoughts away. That couldn’t be helped. Bra was staring at the gravity room though. There was a look of hope on her face. How badly, he wished he couldn’t deny her, but Bulma was worried. A war was no place for an untrained child…even if she was now considered an adult. “We broke it on the way back. Your mother will have to repair it and the ship before we go back.”

“Maybe we can go over basics some time?” Bra questioned. “Since its…my birthday?”

Trunks rolled his eyes. “You have no idea what it’s like out there. You’d probably complain about sweating within the first 5 minutes.”

Bra turned to her brother. “No, I wouldn’t! No one’s ever let me try!”

“Go out to the party, Bra. We will start your training when the war is finished.” Vegeta said firmly.

“But then what’s the point?” Bra snapped.

“You can wait a little longer. Be patient.” Vegeta said, keeping himself firm on the subject.

She backed away as Trunks agreed. “Just say it. You’ll never train me.” She said flatly. “I get it.” She turned her back, running upstairs instead of down to the party. Tears pricked her eyes, this wasn’t fair. She locked her bedroom door, a party. Who the fuck would want to party right now? She may have been a legal adult, but she was still being treated like a child. Bra hid in her sheets, crying herself to sleep. Sleep was uneasy as words whispered in her ears. She trembled in her sleep as her dream came into focus.

A strange planet, covered in glaciers and icebergs, came to her. She found herself weaving through ice caverns, heading closer to what has begun as whispers, but were now a chorus of voices that sounded familiar but distant. A room with an alter in the middle held a strange stone. Bra found herself falling into a trance as she stared down at it, but that wasn’t it. It felt like someone was behind her. She turned quickly, only to hear her name loudly, forcing her awake. It was dark outside, way past midnight. The party had stopped hours ago. Bra pulled herself up out of bed, but the whispers continued in her ears.

Quickly, she ran to the window, looking up at the sky. She almost shook, was this her answer? There were a couple of ships in the shop. She could leave…and prove that she could make it. Bra felt giddy at the thought. Quietly, she left her room, taking only a small bag with her. They were probably not going to even notice that she was gone. Considering that she felt like a waste of space at the moment.

Bra kept her steps light she headed downstairs, making sure to miss the one creaky step at the bottom on her way out. Stealing a capsule from her father’s stash, she found the keys. Now all she had to do was find the ship. The heiress crept outside, heading to a small workshop where her mother kept most of the ships. Picking one at random and making sure it was full of fuel, she put her stuff down and headed to the front. It couldn’t be that hard to control. Considering that most of these things were run by computers, all she needed were coordinates, but she had none. It looked like a random planet would do for now. She could attempt to follow the whispers once she was in space.

Bra turned on the ship, driving it out of the workshop and went with the last planet her father had been on while using it. It zoomed up, quieter than she expected. That would do wonders for her escape. The heiress looked one last time at Earth as she dove deeper into space. As she went do grab a book from her bag, Bra felt something in her pocket. Placing her hand in her pocket, she found the photo she saved earlier. “So, I guess you’re going on the adventure with me.” She put the photo next to the controls, smiling back at him. “I still have too many questions. If only you could answer me.”

* * *

1 week later…

Bra stretched as her ship landed. This was a pretty strange planet. No ice, but a lot of mud. She almost cringed as it got stuck in her shoes. It was a good thing that the ship was already stocked with supplies or she would have been in a lot of trouble.

As she walked around, the heiress felt like something was off. Where were all of the people? Buildings were broken around her as she walked deeper into what had to be an old town. It looked like it had been torn apart due to the war. She walked into a house that appeared to have blast marks all over it. But a chill came over her as she turned, finding a strange alien behind her. It chuckled. “Now this is interesting.” The alien moved closer. “Rarely does a beauty wander into these parts.” He reached forward, only for someone else to grab his arm.

“Yetas, that’s no way to speak to a lady.” A young man said, looking down at blue hair. It looked familiar. He gave her a devilish grin. “Especially a princess.”

“Princess? You think I care about that? She’s in our territory.” A blast of fire appeared in the alien’s blue hands. His stocky form cast a shadow as he put up his hands, showing a strange looking ruin on one of them.

“You really think you get a say in it?” The young man said, giving her another smirk.

Bra blushed. This stranger had broad shoulders and a square jaw. She couldn’t sense ki, but there was a presence to him. “I…I don’t mind going with you.” She said, feeling embarrassed for talking like some googly-eyed teenager.

“See, the girl wants to come with us, General.” Yetas answered, reaching forward, only for his arm to be grabbed. A second later, he screamed in terror as he was shocked.

“We don’t touch our guests. You’re a relic user. Have some respect, Hothead.” The general said, looking back at the girl. He offered her his hand. “Please, Princess, this way.” He felt her take his hand. This was going better than he expected.

As she took his hand, she felt something on it. It looked like he had a mark like the large alien did. He said something about relics, whatever those were. “I have once question. How did you know I was a princess?” Bra asked, not many outside of her family knew that information.

“You could say it’s instinct, Princess Bra.” He grinned at her as she stopped in place. A second later, she shook as a wave of pain went through her bringing her to her knees. “It looks like you don’t know me. I guess it’s time I introduced myself. Most know me as Lord Frieza’s second in command, but maybe you remember the name Son Goten? You would have been a toddler when you last heard it though.”

“Go…Goten?” She questioned, looking up at the young man. Her body felt weak. “Not fair…”

“What isn’t fair?” He chuckled.

“Please…don’t lock me up…” She begged. “Anything but that.”

Goten raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m going to listen to…”

“I’ve waited long enough.” Bra shouted.

Goten froze in place. He had planned to shock her again, but she looked so pitiful…it was almost familiar. “You will come back to base with me. We will find out what to do with you then.” He said feeling uneasy, as he grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder, she was kicking and screaming. For some reason, he laughed, but felt a chill in his shoulder. What did this mean? He would have to ponder it later. They were wasting time here.

Bra found her wrists bound when she was placed on a different ship. How could this be? This was her brother’s best friend…no, Trunks made it clear that Son Goten was nothing to him now. Son Goten was the enemy.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 2

Bra slumped against the wall behind her. How could she be so stupid? To get captured so easily…and just because she thought the guy was hot. Now she could see why Trunks hated Goten so much. Why didn’t Trunks just come out and tell her that his best friend was a traitor?

The General walked into the room she was being held in. “When we get to base, Lord Frieza will figure out what to do with you.” He stated, noticing that she was pouting. He chuckled. “Just like your brother, throwing a tantrum when he doesn’t get his way.”

“You don’t get to bring up my brother.” Bra snapped, as he moved closer. “Don’t get any ideas!”

Goten stopped in place before he began to laugh. “You really think I would stoop so low as to rape you? No, I prefer stealing power from others in different ways.” He chuckled. “Acts like those, belong in the bedroom between passionate lovers, not when I’m looking for information.”

Bra glared at him. “I won’t tell you anything.”

“I doubt that you could. Since you appeared to have no knowledge of my…criminal activities.” He smirked as her glare intensified. “No, you came out here for a different reason.” Goten sat next to her, gauging her ki. “I see that you’ve never been trained. Interesting that they would just skip over you.”

Bra looked up at him as he propped his feet up on a table in front of them. He had an almost cheesy smile on his face. “Why is that interesting?”

“I can sense it in you.” Goten leaned his chair back against the wall as well. “You want to learn, but you’ve been overlooked.”

Bra felt a stinging feeling in her chest. “It’s not your business.”

Goten stared up at the ceiling. “Then why come out here if you didn’t wish to share?” He grinned at her. “You look just like your mother, maybe a little more firry though. Probably just a little bit of saiyan got sprinkled into your genetics.”

“Can you please shut up.” Bra said, trying to look away from him. Why did this bastard have to look this handsome?

Goten noticed something was off with her. Maybe his charms could work on her, it was clear that she found him attractive. He reached forward, grabbing a lock of hair. “But even so, you have the face of an angel…one that wants to strike down their enemies…burning them…”

Bra felt a chill go down her spin. His eyes were intense. “Could you not look at me like that?”

“Why? Does it make you feel things?” He asked, dragging a finger across her chin, only for her to attempt to bite him. Goten chuckled. “Ah, so you do have fight in you. Lots of it.” For some reason, the general felt excited.

“I said stop talking to me like that. You sound like your about to cum in your pants or something.” Bra snapped, finding the power to look away from him.

Goten grinned as he stood. “No, I have no time for such things, Princess.” He headed towards the door. “But I do have time for an apprentice. Think over that notion. We could do great things…horrible, but truly great things.” He couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction. A mixture of embarrassment and annoyance was spread across her face. So, the first test was passed.

The door closed behind him as he left. It was time to report what he knew to Lord Frieza. There was another relic within reach. That had to be the reason. It was calling to the girl, just as his own had found him. Just like the others, she would join him in time. The best part, Goten could tell that she left without telling anyone about the relic. If she took his offer, there was so much knowledge he could pass on, finally the puzzle was almost complete but at the same time, he was given some free entertainment. A soldier walked up, handing him a box with some of her belongings in them. Goten nodded the man off, before looking in. A singed picture of himself laid on top. The general almost had a flashback. It was taken at Trunks’s twelfth birthday party. Back before things changed a year later. Goten shook his head. No, things had always been that way. One sided pain and suffering on his end, while Trunks reaped the rewards of his labor. But now he had more questions. Why did Bra have this picture? Instead of heading towards Frieza, he pushed himself back into her room, only to laugh as he found her sitting upside down with her back against the bench and her feet in the air.

“That’s no way for a lady to sit.” Goten said, almost forgetting the picture.

“Who said I’m a lady?” Bra answered, turning back around. “I thought you were leaving me with my thoughts. I’m start to think that you’re an obsessed creep.”

“Says the one traveling with an old picture of myself.” Goten said, leaning against the doorway. “So, tell me, why do you have something like this? I figured Trunks would have destroyed it ages ago. Looking at the edges of this photo, it looks like he tried. Just like in real life, try as hard as he might, he will never destroy me.”

Bra rolled her eyes. “Oh, now I see it. You’re obsessed with my brother.” She said. “Is that why you didn’t like Mai showing up? I mean I never guess that you would spin that way.”

Goten caught what she was saying and turned red. “I’m not gay! I’ll let you know that I love boobs just as much as any man!” He growled getting in her face, but not realizing that he looked down a second later. Her chest was quite large.

“But there are gay guys that like boobs. Usually it’s jokingly, but how do I know that’s not what’s going on?” Bra teased as he jumbled over his words. “Not so high and mighty now.”

Goten looked back at her, going redder. This time with anger. He pushed her down against the bench, growling loudly. “No one makes me look like a fool.” He snarled, as her hands landed on his chest. Her eyes looked up at him in fear. “Never again!”

“Goten…you’re hurting me.” She whispered, almost shaking at the animal she saw behind his eyes. Over a decade of pain and suffering stared back at her behind his rage filled eyes. “Stop…”

The general stopped in place. He could see tears stinging her eyes and let go of her. Goten backed up, feeling a sense of dread as he left the room. This wasn’t right. He hadn’t lost his temper like that in a long time. He was cool, calm, collected when he was with prisoners. How did the princess get under his skin? He growled as he attempted to calm himself. He had a meeting with Frieza. It wouldn’t do good to be late.

Bra laid with her back against the bench. She wiped away her tears, but his expression stuck with her. He looked like she had stunned him. He even looked apologetic. The princess sat up, playing with a small piece of her hair as she pondered what his actions meant. Son Goten appeared to be shutting off more than a few sides of himself. He had left the photo of himself on the floor on the way out. She grabbed it, looking up at the hopefully looking boy. He had offered to train her, but what did that entail? She wouldn’t betray her family…even if they refused to let her even try.

Bra sighed. She could only hope that someone would come for her soon. She groaned in frustration. This was last thing she wanted. Being the trapped princess in need of rescue had to be her worst nightmare.

* * *

Vegeta paced. He had been cursing himself for the last few days. He looked over at Bulma. The repairs to the main ship weren’t even close to being completed. Bra had taken the only ship that had been fixed up.

“What was she thinking?” Trunks growled, still wondering why his sister would just run off like this. They had to get back into space. People’s lives were on the line. Did she not understand how dangerous war was? How could she be so selfish?

Vegeta noted a light was flicking on the computer that Bulma was looking at. They had a message. “We better look at this.” The prince said.

Bulma nodded, pressing for it to play. Frieza appeared on the screen. With a smirk. _“Well, well, well, it was easier for me to get through to you than I thought.”_

Trunks walked over, crossing his arms next to his father. Goku and Gohan needed to be here for this, but they could replay it later. He remained quiet as Frieza spoke.

 _“It seems like I found something important to you, Vegeta. I would think that you would keep your daughter close, but for her to end up on one of my target planets was quite entertaining.”_ Vegeta snarled, as did Trunks. _“You’ll be happy to know that she was brought in by an old friend of yours.”_ Goten appeared on screen next to Frieza. Goten held a grin, making Trunks livid. _“Don’t worry, we will be taking good care of her.”_ Frieza laughed. _“You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you, Vegeta?”_

The prince snarled as he remembered the prisoner chambers. Each day, the prisoner was greeted with a new type of torture each day until they either spilled any information or died.

Goten looked at the frost demon. _“My lord, if I may speak. I believe that the Princess will better be handled, under my care._

 _“You know not to go against my judgement, General.”_ Frieza’s smile vanished.

Goten glared back. _“Yes, but no one has ever found my outpost. No one will get a chance of stealing her away.” Frieza opened his mouth to argue, when The General spoke again. “I already have her shuttle prepared. My staff will see to her.”_

 _“As will you, I’m sure.”_ Frieza was still glaring at his General, but chose to allow this. _“As I said, your precious princess will be under the foot of my second in command. If you think you’re getting her back, think again.”_

The transmission ended, causing Trunks to hit the wall. “Of all of the things, now we have to rescue her as well as stopping this war.” The wall crumbled as he tried to control his anger.

Bulma stood. “I’m going to finish working on the ship. If you can get out there faster, you can find her. I just know it.” She left her husband and Trunks quickly, leaving them to remain in silence.

Vegeta sighed. “If only I agreed to teach her. We wouldn’t be in this place.”

“Dad, trust me, she doesn’t know what she wants. Now she just made everyone’s jobs harder.” Trunks snapped.

“She has saiyan blood. Battle is in her. This is my fault for not stepping in. Just as its Kakarot’s for not stepping in before Goten fell.” Vegeta said, leaving his son.

“General Son is nothing but a whiny weakling.” Trunks growled, only for his shoulder to burn as he spoke. His last encounter with his enemy had nearly killed him. Son wasn’t weak. He was an emotionless droid… the image of a younger Goten came to mind, but he shook his head. Trunks held his convictions. Son Goten was dead…all that lived now was General Son, the sadistic beast.

* * *

As the transmission ended, the frost demon looked back at his General. What once had been a whiny preteen was now the perfect killing machine. He was still angry with the young man, but if they were really going to torture Goku and his cohorts, this was the best option. “You’ve told me of the girl’s dreams. If a relic is calling her, we will want her. Besides, who better to teach her how to use those abilities for our cause? You think Yetas or Berdo could handle it? They can barely get to the second level of their relic abilities.”

Goten nodded. He had more experience than those two had, but each of them had at least 5 years with their newly awarded powers. It had been almost 15 years since he had merged with the relic and his twenties were coming to an end. “I’ll get close to the girl and learn where this relic is. She will join us.” He said, feeling certain in his quest. He was dismissed and left to find his new ward. As he opened the door to her room, he froze. Bra had been given new clothes since they wouldn’t make her run around the rags that most prison camps utilized. They must have gone into his personal funds to buy her outfits. It was no secret that he had been made rich under Frieza. Years of war, meant money, jewels, and property.

Bra looked down at herself, a long red dress with jewels embodied into its bodice made her look like a princess. She couldn’t even tell what jewels these were. The care the attendants gave her was enough to tell her though. She turned, finding Goten staring at her. “What do you want?” She was sure that this wasn’t normal for prisoners. “Is this the part where you rape me?” She snapped.

Goten laughed. “You say that while wearing the most expensive dress in the galaxy. Like I would want to waste my credits by destroying it.” He offered her his hand. It looked like her hair had been washed up as well. A floral soap had been used, not really echoing any her own scent.

Bra looked up at him, feeling confused. “You make no sense.”

“What makes you say that?” Goten said as she took his hand. He began to lead her away from the room he was being held in.

“Do you really have to ask?” Bra looked down at his gloves. Her father wore similar ones, only these were black.

“I guess not.” He chuckled. “We will be heading to my home. Orders state that you will remain with me, that is until you’re ready.”

Bra stared up at him. “Ready?”

“You’ll know in time.”

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 3

Another week passed and Bra found herself bored as she was brought her breakfast. Goten’s home was nice. She expected they would be stopping on a planet but didn’t expect it to be a space station in the middle of nowhere. You could only stare out at blank space for so long. His butler was an aging man, who looked human almost. He had to be somewhere in his 60’s or 70’s. “Thank you, Basail,” she said, as he placed down her breakfast.

Goten sat down, looking over the news as he did every morning. She could hear him laugh as reporters brought up his name. He thought of this as a fun game. “Ah, yes. You feel important when you kill innocent people.”

“Very few people are truly innocent. Everyone has a motive in this world,” Goten stated, ripping some meat off a bone. He caught Bra staring at him. “What?”

“It’s just hard for me to picture it.” He gave her a look. “Chichi is your mother, she likes manners, but you lack any.”

Goten scoffed. “Trust me, when I was free of that harpy, I was never happier.”

“You have to miss your family a little,” Bra said, only for him to shake his head. “You’re lying.”

“When your family comes after you with the intent on killing you, you lose all feeling for them. No, that’s wrong. They finally affirm the truth,” Goten said, picking up a glass of juice. He never indulged in alcohol in the morning. It dulled his senses too much.

“What truth is that?” Bra asked, turning off the news. There were no other guards here. Only servants, all of whom were really enthusiastic about their jobs. The maid, Pairau, made sure the house was cleaned since Basail was busy serving them throughout the day and taking messages for General Son. Sheets were changed nightly and warmed before bed. She found herself waking up on soft linens while being offered silk nightdresses. Baths made her skin softer than it had ever been, as did all of the oils and lotions she was offered. The resident chef, Crofter, cooked mouthwatering meals. Basic breakfasts were made in the morning, followed by delicate lunches and it was practically fine dining for dinner. Goten never stopped wearing armor though. He remained in combat gear, never leaving it for a moment. Part of her wondered if he slept in it.

He sighed. Goten knew he was supposed to get close to her. Telling her a bit of his past could help, but he still didn’t know much about her. He looked at one of his servants. “Leave us.” The maid and butler stopped what they were doing and left without a word. They were paid well. None would want to be on his bad side. Goten remained in his seat. “In their eyes, I was nothing. Gohan was their golden child. The perfect son in every way. Immaculate grades and a trained warrior before he was even 5 years old. Meanwhile, I was tossed to the side like garbage. I was a child never meant to be born.”

“But you got some training…” Bra began, not believing that Goten was really given nothing. His mother had the best food. Goku seemed childlike at times with how he spoke but was a great fighter. Gohan was a teacher and warrior. They were all kind…Chichi could be strict, but still kind.

“Only in the time when my father was dead. After that, I was cut off. My mother wanted me to focus on my studies. In her head, I think she only saw me as her only chance to have a normal child. No matter how many times I asked, I was denied training. Even when my father looked like he was interested, he turned away from me. I was to sit and watch…never to join in,” Goten explained.

“What about my brother?” Bra asked, feeling curious.

Goten stood from his seat. “That bastard treated me like his slave. I was nothing more than a device to make him stronger and he knows it.”

“What?” The princess felt confused as she stood to follow him out of the room. They had a routine that she followed while she was here.

“Trunks and I used to have a bond. When I left him, I severed that bond. I wasn’t going to be some puppet anymore. I refuse to be mocked.” Goten said, as they walked into a nearby library. Thousands of scrolls covered the walls. “That harlot that your brother shacked up with thought it was best to criticize me at every turn. I gave up, until I found the relic.” He turned back to her. “That’s when my life changed.”

“Relic?” He showed her his palm, the rune symbol was clear on his hand. As Bra looked down, she found herself tracing the lines on his hand. “I understand the frustration of being left behind. My sex didn’t make it easy.”

“I doubt that was really the issue,” Goten said, feeling a tingling under his skin where she was touching him. “Female saiyans used to be on the battlefield just as much as men. My niece has seen battle as well and she’s the same age as you,” he answered, feeling comfortable. “You still want to learn, don’t you?”

“I do…” Her voice had turned into a whisper as she looked up at him. Bra felt dizzy. Did he do something to her food? “I think I should go sit down,” she said, looking away from him and trying to calm herself.

Goten sighed. “You look pale this morning. Sometimes space sickness can get to you after a few days. I had it bad when I first began going from planet to planet.” He led her to a seat. There were still thousands of questions she had. He could tell.

“I still don’t understand how you could go from wanting to protect people to destroying planets,” Bra said, feeling him sit down next to her.

Goten laughed. “You really don’t understand? Bra, people are stupid.” He could tell that she was shocked by his response. “This galaxy is full of morons. You should hear some of the old speeches that are recorded here. They make reality tv back home look like an upper-class art expo.”

Bra almost choked as a laugh came out of her. “No, that’s not…”

“Oh, I can show you.” He ran to grab one of the speeches he was talking about.

Bra found it strange. He spoke so innocently at times. It was like there were two different Gotens. One was the tyrant of the galaxy. The other was this clown. “Goten, do you enjoy war?” she asked, only for him to stop in place.

“What would you say if I said I did?” Goten asked, sitting down across from her this time.

Bra felt a chill. “I just want to know why?”

He sighed. “I told you I was cut off from being a warrior. Endless war allows me to get everything I desired. Training, money…unlimited power.”

She sighed. “Money doesn’t mean much.”

He smirked. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you were with the rest of the prisoners. Find it lucky that you got placed with me and not some moron like Yetas.”

She almost laughed at his disgusted look. “You seem offended. Doesn’t he have a relic too?”

“Yes, but people like him give me a bad name,” he growled.

“I know relics are powerful, but just what does it mean to have one?” Bra asked, standing and going to his chair. She sat on the arm of it, getting a look from him. “You put a lot of pride in your power. I just want to know why?” The princess didn’t know why she was still so curious about him. Goten was her enemy, but if he was opening up to her, she might as well take advantage of it.

He grinned, grabbing her waist and pulling her down so that she fell into his lap. Goten watched her go red as he caught her eye. “You’re interested in my power.” His voice changed and he could feel her tremble. “You want training as well” he whispered, moving closer to her face. “If you want to know more, your dreams hold the answers.”

“My dreams?” Bra whispered back. She was still having the dreams of the ice caverns. “How do you—?” His hand came up placing a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I’ve gotten good at reading people.” He grinned. “You also talk in your sleep,” he said, watching her turn red with anger. She smacked his face and he chuckled. “Come on, it was a good show.”

“You’re a creep!” she snapped, slamming her hands against his armor.

Goten chuckled. “But I thought girls thought that was romantic?” he teased as she kept smacking his armor. He took her hands, stopping her.

“Only if we’re sleeping in the same bed,” she said angrily, but paled as he grinned. “Oh, my kami. You’re a pervert!”

“You were the one who said it, Love,” he teased, pulling her close against him as he continued the joke. “I bet if I stayed a little longer, you would have had different kinds of dreams.”

“Ew! Don’t waste your breath.” She stood up quickly, leaving the room in a rush.

Goten grinned to himself, only to stop in place. What was this warmth in his chest? He was having fun, but no one was dying. It was a confusing notion. “Wait for me, Princess.”

“Stay away, creep!” Bra shouted back at him as she headed up some stairs. He was on her tail. She ran into a few different rooms, but could hear him through the halls. She finally stopped in a dark room, hiding behind the door.

“It looks like we’re playing hide and seek.” He chuckled. It was almost like he was a little kid. He sensed her, following her ki to the exact spot she was hiding. Goten pulled the door open, only to pin her against the wall. He laughed. “I guess you’re it now.”

Bra stared up at him. He was treating this like a joke. “So you want to hide and have me find you?”

“Many have tried and failed at that.” Goten purred. “But if that’s what you want.”

Bra moved out from his arms. “I bet I could.” She smiled at him.

Goten grinned. “Remember, you have to cover your eyes and count while I go and hide,” he teased, then he looked around. Realizing where they were. He looked back behind her, catching her attention.

The princess turned, finding a large bed covered in black satin sheets. She turned back to Goten, realizing this was his bedroom. It was dark in here. There wasn’t much light. They were near a few stars, making it look like there was light coming into the windows, but Goten had covered most of his windows up. “Should I start the count?”

Goten tensed up. There was no reason for him to be getting worked up from having her near his bed. “Yes, but this room and your own are off limits for the rest of the game.”

Bra looked up at him. He seemed uncomfortable about having her in his room. “Do we want to leave and start the count in the hall.”

Goten grinned. “That would be ideal.” She walked out and he followed. This was still strange to him, but they continued to play the silly game for the rest of the morning before heading into the dining room for lunch. She was running from him again, but this time he pinned her against the table with a laugh, but as he did so, her arms grounded themselves by wrapping around his neck. Goten froze, blushing as he caught her gaze. She was having a strange effect on him. He could feel it.

Bra felt warmth in her cheeks. She knew this was a dangerous game. Getting close to Goten was a bad decision, but she couldn’t find a way to pull herself from his grasp. “I…”

Goten placed a finger over her lips. “It appears that lunch is ready to be served.” He hated to admit it, but she was pretty. That had to be the reason why. Physical attraction often messed with the male mind. He would have to learn to better control himself in the future. He stood, releasing her from his grip, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she was hanging herself from his neck.

“You’re stronger than I thought,” Bra said, before she could stop herself.

Goten chuckled. “I don’t think lifting you should be a way to judge that.” He grinned. “You’re pretty light.”

Bra looked away, feeling embarrassed. Was she just flirting with him? This wasn’t right. If she started having these kind of feelings…what would happen to her and her family? Goten was the enemy, even if he was acting like a teenager at the moment. She let go of him promptly, but as she expected to hit the floor, his hands caught her waist. Bra turned red. “I guess we should sit down for lunch then.”

“Yes, we should,” Goten said back, not really knowing what to say now. He had acted like an idiot for far too long today. And just as it had in the days before, the space station became quiet and still. It was just the way he needed it to be. He needed to stay focused on his mission. Getting the location of the relic from Bra was all that mattered.

* * *

Bulma finally got the ship fixed a week later. She had yelled at everyone since they brought it back in such bad shape. The gravity room needed all new wiring. The engine was shot. Every droid on board was broken. It was just one thing after another. And it wasn’t like she could just give them another ship. All of the rest were still piled up from when they took them out. Bra did leave in their future ship after all. She almost cursed her daughter for running off into space when Chichi showed up. The housewife had gray hair now, her mood never shifted from somber. Her youngest’s turn to darkness had taken a toll on her mentally and everyone could see it. Chichi just couldn’t help but blame herself for what had happened with Goten.

Goku walked around with Gohan. Pan and Uub were packing up food and drinks, while Piccolo, Krillin, and Tien headed inside. She looked sadly at her husband and Trunks as they came from the house. She had made new armor for her husband and Trunks was in his usual outfit. She didn’t have time to look at his sword. The boy had taken to using one a few years ago and never looked back.

“Be safe,” Bulma said, getting a nod from her comrades. Vegeta walked up to her, his look grave. “Find her.” She leaned up giving him a kiss on the cheek before turning to her son. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“I won’t mom. Geeze, you act like I haven’t left before,” Trunks joked, but he could tell his mother was serious. “I’m not going to just rush in there.”

“You’re worried about her,” Bulma said, thinking about her daughter. “We all are.”

“We have no way of seeing General Son, so finding him will be hard,” Pan said, finishing up her stretches.

“But we can follow Bra’s ki. If we do that, we might have a chance of finding the General’s home,” Uub answered.

Gohan and Goku only nodded. Everyone knew this was a sore subject for them.

“We should get going. We’ll call when we have news,” Trunks stated, walking to the ship. Patrol soldiers would be waiting for them at the check point. Goten better have wished he was never born ‘cause now he wasn’t messing around.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 4

The living quarters were quiet for the night…at least they thought it was night. Goku had tossed and turned for a while, so now he was up. Earth’s hero was still taking time to process what had happened. He pulled out a picture from inside his gi, smiling down at his wife, Gohan, Videl, and Pan. It was a more recent picture, but it did nothing to fill the void in his heart. The earth saiyan grabbed himself some coffee to calm his nerves. He didn’t know when the last time he had a good night’s sleep was. It had to be over a decade ago…after the tournament of power?

That seemed so long ago. His body had started to weaken a bit after that. Both him and Vegeta had noticed that their ability to use their god forms had been shut down. Something was going on with their ki’s but they had no idea what it could be. Super saiyan was still an option but they were stumped.

Goku put down the photo, only to pull a different one from the other side of his gi. He sighed sadly as he stared down at the boy who would turn the galaxy upside down. Never had he imagined that his own son would turn evil. Goten looked so innocent as a boy. How had he not seen the signs? Goten wanted to fight, but never did he step in and tell Chichi to back off. Earth’s hero didn’t even try…and now he lived with the guilt. The torture burned him under his skin. This had to be the reason he could no longer ascend to his god form. This was his greatest sin. Millions of lives laid destroyed from General Son’s endless march of annihilation. The irony of Goku’s own battle to bring down Frieza seemed like a drop in the bucket now. Oh, how he regretted bringing Frieza to the tournament to help, then Goten wouldn’t have joined him.

Goku shook his head. If it wasn’t Frieza, it would have happened at some point. Goten would have left in a rage…General Son would still exist on some plane. The Earth saiyan finished his coffee before hearing a sound. It looked like Vegeta couldn’t sleep either. The prince sat down next to him, looking grim. Goku planned to put the picture of Goten away before the prince saw it, but Vegeta only sighed. “What have we become, Kakarot?”

“What do you mean?” The earth saiyan asked.

“Your failures were right in my face and I fell into the same trap. I should have never left Bra alone,” Vegeta said, thinking of his daughter’s safety.

Goku looked down. “We’ve been at war, Vegeta. If we had our god powers, it wouldn’t be as bad, but…”

“They disappeared after the tournament. I wonder if Frieza has something to do with that as well,” Vegeta said, wanting to get off the topic of their children. “Nothing changed between then and now besides that.”

“I just wish things were different. If I had just known...” Goku began.

“The boy was begging you for it, Kakarot.” Vegeta sighed. “Just like Bra was with me. I have no idea what Son has in store for her, but she’s not ready for any of this. I left her open to everything by not being there. I can only imagine what those soldiers have already done to her.”

Goku looked down. “I can only hope that Son has enough decency left to keep those men from doing those things.”

Vegeta looked up at the time. “It’s times like this that I wish this ship had alcohol on board, but with the kids, I’m not sure.”

“Yeah, I could see Pan and Uub trying to get into it,” Goku agreed. “Vegeta, when did we get so old?”

The prince chuckled. “Who knows, Kakarot. We are the last of our kind. It’s the end of an age.” Vegeta frowned, putting down his coffee. “We should go spar. That should clear our heads.”

“Yeah, I can always go with beating your ass.” Goku grinned.

“Like that’s gonna happen.”

* * *

Bra looked down at the dress she had been given. Light gold silk trimmed with purple gems. Lace dangled down from her sleeves while her hair was styled in delicate braids as she was sent out to a greenhouse. She was surprised that such a thing existed in a place like this. It didn’t look like a stale greenhouse would…this looked like an exotic garden. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought she was off on some magical Mediterranean vacation. Soft grass tinkled her toes as she walked up to the water’s edge. Large trees sprang up from the ground, as wildflowers bloomed. Just how did Goten make something like this?

As she gripped a railing by the water, she caught a glimpse of Basail setting a net through the water, gathering different kinds of kelp and fish…most likely what would be used for dinner. Pairau walked behind her, making sure that the train on her dress stayed clean. “Is there anything you need, Princess?”

Bra giggled. “I’m fine. I know you have other things you want to get done.” She looked out on the water. “Just how is this possible?”

“The water here helps run the station. This isn’t even the most impressive station in the galaxy,” the maid said with a giggle. “General Son spared no expense though.”

“I can only imagine how far I’m setting him back with my…stay.” Bra shook her head. It wasn’t like she was visiting an old friend. She was being held prisoner here. “Sometimes, I wish I knew more about the galaxy. Everything I’ve ever heard has to do with the war.”

“Yes, my lady. It can get confusing when you start to compile the histories of multiple planets. Each planet has their own unique culture, race, clothing, I could go on.” She walked up, setting up some tea on a nearby table. “General Son will be joining you shortly. I must attend to the laundry. If you need anything, please don’t be afraid to ask,” the short maid informed her. It was the first time that Bra noticed just how small Pairau was. She had to be around 4…no, maybe 3 1/2 feet tall. Her long hair was braided behind her back in strange loops.

“Maybe, while I wait… you could tell me more about your own planet,” Bra said, feeling bad about taking the maid away from her work. She just really wanted to know more.

“As much as I would like to tell you, Princess, I have work to do,” the maid said.

“Can you at least tell me where it is?” Bra asked.

“Sadly, no. It was destroyed a long time ago,” Pairau said, leaving Bra behind at the lake.

The princess turned red with embarrassment. She knew she would have to apologize later for her lack of tact. Basail’s small boat came out of the lake and he began to walk along the edge as he too headed back into the station. His graying beard was well kept for a man who had just spent the last 20 minutes in a lake. Bra sighed. She felt so out of place out here. She closed her eyes, only for the strange cavern to appear behind her eyes.

“There you are, Princess,” the General said, making her jump. “I didn’t think you would fall for jump scares,” he teased.

“I was resting my eyes, Son.” She glared at him as she stood from the table and went back to the railing. “The last thing I wanted to see was your form when I opened them again.”

“Yes, I do get that I’m a terrifying monster.” Goten chuckled, walking beside her. “How do you like the lake?”

“Why is this even here?” Sure, she had already gotten an answer from the maid, but still, the set up didn’t have to look like this, did it?

“Even in the marvel that is space, you have to enjoy something organic from time to time.” He watched her face tighten in annoyance from his remark. The General laughed. “If you must know, it supplies us with oxygen and clean water. Just think of it as a biome on the go.”

Bra looked back down at the water. “That technology exists?”

“You’re standing in it and you still don’t believe it?” Goten said, grabbing a nearby rock and slipping it across the water.

Bra looked back at him. “How do you do that?” She had only seen it done in movies and television shows. She had to sound like an idiot for her question.

Goten smiled, grabbing her a rock. He watched her toss it, only for it to sink. “I didn’t say to throw it yet. You need to get the right form for it.” He walked behind her, setting her arm so she could throw it the way he had. The general watched as she tossed it this time, making it skip across the water.

“It worked…” Bra said, before looking over to see how close he was. She pulled away from him awkwardly. “You could have just showed me…”

“Learning doesn’t always work by showing. Most of us learn by doing,” Goten said, looking back across the water. A few ducks crossed the lake making him smile. “I guess it’s duck for dinner tomorrow night.”

Bra watched them, then looked up at the general. “You won’t. They have babies!” she snapped at him.

“As if that matters,” Goten said, watching the ducks cross. “You’ll find that details like those mean nothing in war. The things I’ve seen would make most want to rip their eyes out.”

Bra shook her head. “It doesn’t mean that you should lose your humanity. Killing the innocent is wrong.”

“Is it wrong when soldiers pick up the innocent as shields so they can get close to you?” Goten stated coldly.

“What?” Bra turned pale at the idea.

Goten sighed. “My first job after I joined Frieza was on a small planet just outside the Milky Way Galaxy. At first, their warriors came at me, but then they began to grab their children as shields. By the time the raid was finished, I found myself killing the innocent just to alleviate their suffering.” He turned to face her. “Think about it, Princess. What’s worse? To die by the hand of a stranger or to die as her parent…spouse, loved one, pulled you close and forced you to take every hit. What mercy can you derive from that?”

Bra was speechless as she stared up at the general. “I… I don’t know what to say. Either sound terrible, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Why not give those children protection? Lives could be saved instead of lost.”

Goten chuckled. “A saiyan pacifist? I guess there is a first time for everything.” He gazed out the large glass windows around them, looking on into space. “I’m not the first saiyan warrior to do this. Just ask your father, he was once a soldier in this army.”

“My dad’s a changed man. He would never kill innocent people,” Bra snapped.

“But he did once,” Goten stated. “He once cleared entire planets. A job I’ve had the task of doing when I was in training.” He looked back at the princess. “I’ve even seen your brother cut down a child once. These are the horrors of war.”

Bra shook her head as tears appeared in her eyes. “Enough. If you wish to torture me, you have.” She trembled as she felt his hand pull her chin upward. The last thing she wanted to look at was him. “Release me.”

Goten stared down at her. “I never meant to hurt you; I was only stating facts,” he said, catching her turquoise eyes. He caught a single tear as it fell, but could tell that she was angry with him for his words. “One side is always in the dark, while the other is in the light, but it depends what point of view you have. If you were on Frieza’s side from the beginning, you may see the Patrol as just another blockage in our way. Those innocents you perceive, are nothing more than roadblocks.”

“Roadblocks? You’re talking about living beings.” She kicked him in the shin, causing him to let go of her. “You’re saying that just because you’re on Frieza’s side, means that you can’t see the horrors of killing civilians. That their lives mean nothing to you anyway? That doesn’t make you sound any better. It makes you nothing but soulless drones.”

“This is war, Princess. Being soulless is key. How many soldiers do you think would still be standing if they took every kill with them?” Goten asked, keeping his distance. “Emotions only cloud your judgement on the battlefield.”

“You forget that even the greatest power comes from cries of sorrow. Those who witness tragedy rarely forget it,” Bra said, getting in his face. “Seeing the pain inflicted makes those who have faced the horror, stand up stronger against you.”

Goten smirked. “You have a point. Not everyone can be broken. I will say that our race proves that.”

“Race? If you head down that road, you only wish to divide yourself further,” Bra stated. She was glaring up at him. “Why are you still smirking?”

Goten chuckled. “Yes, I see. Spoken like a princess.” She growled at him. “I’m not mocking you. Just curious.”

“I’m not some experiment, General Son.” Bra turned her back to him. “You’ve soured this place with your words.” She planned to dig into him further but felt his presence right behind her. “You will not scare me.”

“You tremble as you speak,” Goten whispered. “But even so, there is nothing to fear from me.” She turned swiftly to shout at him, but he spoke first. “Hurting you is something I’m not capable of doing.”

“You lie. You’ve cut into me over the last hour,” Bra said angrily.

“But now you’re stronger for having listened to it,” Goten said, sensing her confusion. “You’ve been stuck on Earth for far too long. Life seems so easy when you’re miles away from the suffering. The fantasy is over, Princess. The light is nothing more than an illusion. Reality is nothing more than darkness.”

Bra stared up at him, not realizing how close he was. “Goten, there’s more to life than light and dark,” she whispered.

“Then where is it?” the General asked. “Where is the supposed grey?”

Bra smiled. “It’s not that simple. Not everything is cast in shadows or brightened up. Just look at the moon.”

“The moon?” Goten asked. “What argument is that?”

“Don’t you remember? Back home, the moon would come and go.” Bra stated, feeling annoyed by his tone. “Are you even listening to me?” She snapped as he began to laugh at her. “You’re such a jerk!”

He kept laughing. “I think the galaxy would say that you’re putting that lightly, Princess.” Goten smirked at the fire in her eyes as she looked up at him. “The fire in you is strong, I bet you keep that same passion in the bedroom.” Goten didn’t know why he said it, but the words slipped out.

Bra blushed. “You fucking creep! Get me out of your dreams!”

“Dreams? Those are probably nightmares,” Goten snapped back, feeling her anger.

“Then stop acting like a fucking stalker!” Bra snapped, getting in his face.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” the General snarled, grabbing her shoulders.

“Let go of me, you bastard!” Bra growled, not caving to his demands.

Goten felt a flash inside of him. His body felt like it was acting on its own as he pulled her into a fierce kiss. The General was shaking with anger, but it began to fade as his lips moved.

Bra froze for a second. Her own anger began to feed off of his, making the kiss grow more passionate with each passing second. The princess didn’t know what to focus on as his lips remained urgent with hers. Her hands reached up, digging into his scalp. The only thought she could focus on was getting closer to him. She squealed as his hands slid down her arms, landing on her hips and pulling her closer.

When Goten pulled back, he was panting heavily. He had never been one to indulge in these sorts of things and from the way she was looking at him, he could tell that she had never been kissed like this before. He let go of her. “Excuse me, Princess?” His mind was racing with millions of questions, but he had no answers. Goten walked off before she could say anything else.

Bra touched her lips. They were still warm from his touch. What did this mean? They reacted to the heat of the moment…that was it. Their conversation was intense, leading to intense actions. The princess tried to calm herself. The General was a creep…a pervert…a monster, but in the moment he pulled back, she saw someone else. Those eyes told another story. It was time she found out who Son Goten really was.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 5

Goten looked across the table. It had been a few days since they kissed. He still didn’t know what to say. A man of his place and title didn’t fall for such temptations. Hell, he had never even… The general went red as he thought about it. There had never been time. Frieza had brought up getting him a few playmates in the past, but Goten had always refused. He could only imagine Trunks’s face if he knew that the general had shared his first kiss with that heir’s sister. It made Goten want to laugh, but the part that confused him was her own actions. Bra kissed him back. She fed the fire as much as he had. Didn’t she see him as her captor? A pervert? A creep? Why would she cave to primal desires if she disliked him?

Bra picked at her food, only looking up to find General Son staring at her. He looked lost in thought. Her heart raced as the kiss they shared came to mind. She still had no idea why she let him in so closely. His touch made her feel warm, secure almost. It was as if her body knew she was safe with him. But to make out with him was just too much. “You seem distracted tonight.” Goten only nodded before returning to his food. “You know if you overthink things, your head is liable to explode.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” the general said with a grin.

“Are you sure of that? You’re face betrays your thoughts.” Bra said as he blushed. It looked like this guy could be toppled.

“And what thoughts are those?” Goten asked, watching as she stood. “Remain seated at the dinner table, Princess.” She didn’t listen to his words though, instead Bra walked over to him, sitting on the table next to him.

“You act proper, but you want to indulge in what you can’t have,” Bra said, almost giggling as she stared down at him.

“I can have whatever I want, Princess. If I had wanted you, I would have already taken you,” Goten stated pushing his seat back. He needed to get away from her or he would make another mistake. He stopped in place as he smelt something on the air. He smirked. “You know what? I don’t think I’m the only one at fault here.” He moved closer to her. “You clearly have some affection for me, Princess.”

“What makes you think that?” Bra said, feeling defensive. This was supposed to be her game now. How had he turned this back on her?

“You were the one carrying around my picture,” Goten said, crossing his arms.

“That means nothing,” Bra stated, growling at him when he backed away. “Don’t you run away from me.”

Goten snarled. “Who said I was running?” He dove forward, pushing her down against the table. Her scent was growing to a level that was driving him insane. “What now, Princess?”

Bra felt a sense of shock, but almost moaned as she looked up at him. What was going on between them? “I wasn’t mocking you. I was stating facts.”

Goten looked her over, before pulling himself up. This wasn’t in his character. “How pitiful. You really have no way to defend yourself.”

“It’s not my fault.” Bra pulled herself up, feeling a mixture of confusion and sadness. “I guess I wasn’t worth teaching.”

The General caught her sadness. He didn’t think as he reached out to her, taking her hand and catching her eye. “Long ago, I believed the same.” He took a deep breath. They were supposed to go walking around the east wing today, but now there was a change in plans. “Pairau will meet you in your room soon. There will be a change of clothes for you there.”

Bra looked down at her gown. It didn’t look like there were any stains. “What for?”

Goten sighed. He couldn’t tell if this was a good or bad idea yet. “The galaxy is a dangerous place. Without proper training, you’re left defenseless.” He watched her look down at his words. “I plan to rectify that.”

The princess looked upward in shock. “I…I don’t under…” she began, only for him to smile back at her. Not a sly grin or an arrogant smirk, a real smile. She felt a stirring in her chest as he left her. Bra could barely believe it. She was going to train. This wasn’t what she expected from her captor at all.

“Princess, have you finished your breakfast?” the butler said, giving her a smile.

Bra looked back at her food, most of it was still there, but how could she eat after knowing what was about to happen. “I’m not sure.”

Basail brought her more tea. “You seem to be getting close to the General.” The older man poured her a glass. “Drink, your nerves are going to get to you.”

“Have you ever trained, Basail?” Bra asked, before shaking her head. What would a butler know about fighting?

Basail kept his smile. “Much time has passed since those days, Princess. I’ve seen many a war and battle in my life, but I believe this role suits me better.” He watched as she began to drink her tea. “Sometimes, we want something so much, that when we finally get it, we find ourselves disappointed.”

“Do you think I won’t like training and fighting then?” Bra asked as the man laughed.

“No, Princess. I believe you’ll love it. Master Son seems excited to share his knowledge. He always has been,” Basail said, cleaning his glasses.

“He’s taught before?” The princess didn’t understand any of this. “When did he have time?”

“The General makes time. He was the first relic user in over a millennia. That information isn’t just written down somewhere. He had to learn everything on his own. It took over a decade of discipline for him to get this far in his abilities,” Basail answered. “He does agree that if he had a teacher, it would have gone faster or at least some written text.”

“You know information about the relics?” Bra knew that the patrol knew little about them. Just that the users were dangerous.

“Of course, I do. I was once a scholar. There are plenty of old legends about them,” The butler said, fixing his glasses. “There are 5 relics in total.”

“And only 3 of them are in use,” Bra said, thinking back to her dream of the ice caverns. “What powers are they?”

“Besides, General Son’s power of lightening, there is water, fire, wind, and ice,” the butler answered.

“Ice?” she asked, feeling a chill.

“Yes, they were made when an ancient queen took down many of her enemies. Those powers used against her, became those protecting her in the end.”

“Is that why all of the relic users follow Frieza, because he is powerful?” Bra asked.

“Maybe. I believe that may just be luck on Frieza’s end of things,” the butler said as the maid returned. “Pairau, I see you’re here for the princess.”

Bra looked back as the maid grinned, but she wasn’t the only one. The cook had come out but looked like he was in a hurry. “Where is he going?” the princess asked.

“Probably heading out to grab more ingredients,” Pairau said with a smile. “We get most from the garden, but if General Son wants something special, he’ll allow us to leave to go get it.” The maid nodded to Basail. “Come now, Princess. You don’t want to keep the General waiting.”

Bra gave a slight nod to the butler before leaving the dining room. Her thoughts were buzzing around her as she thought about what was to come. She couldn’t wait.

* * *

The ship docked at the patrol hanger; it was late from how the docks looked at the moment. Trunks stood, waking everyone but his father and Goku. The two appeared to be training. The heir guessed that they couldn’t sleep. He hurried outside, finding one friendly face waiting for them. “Mai!” Trunks ran forward, catching his fiancé on the ramp. They kissed as the rest of them exited the ship.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. Now was not the time for romance. Some of them looked amused though. Trunks and Mai had been together for a long time. It made sense that they would settle down, but the war had kept that from happening.

“I heard the beacons go off when you were coming in, so I had to come find you.” Mai said.

“Have you heard anything since we left?” Trunks asked.

“Yes, I want to know if Frieza has made any new moves,” Vegeta said, crossing his arms.

“We haven’t heard of anything. There have been the usual planetary battles, but nothing major. Enough about the war, how was Bra’s birthday?” Mai asked, curious about the party. They had never been on good terms. Mai figured it was because she and Bra started on the wrong foot. When she started dating Trunks, Bra was a child. It was hard for them to relate about anything and now…now Bra acted as if she wanted nothing to do with her. Not that Mai blamed the heiress.

Trunks frowned. “That’s the reason we’ve come back late. Bra stole our ship and now she’s been captured by the enemy.”

Mai looked back at her fiancé, feeling shocked. “But…how, how could she…?”

“She was angry because I refused to train her.” Vegeta sighed. “She knew there was no time.”

“I doubt she would have enjoyed it much anyway,” Tien stated.

“She is Bulma’s daughter,” Yamcha agreed.

Vegeta looked down, feeling the blame inside of him. He could have at least shown her how to defend herself. Then he would have had a better idea of what she was capable of. “She is in General Son’s care. There’s no telling what she’s being forced to do.”

Goku caught Gohan’s gaze. “I can only hope that General Son hasn’t abused her.” Gohan felt a sense of dread come over him. His brother wasn’t known for showing kindness.

Marron came running forward to greet her father. “Daddy!” She gave Krillin a hug before speaking. “Everyone should go get some sleep. We can discuss the war in the morning.” There seemed to be agreement amongst everyone at her words.

Only Vegeta and Goku remained outside as the rest went in. “I still don’t know what to think about this, Kakarot.”

“Neither do I,” Goku said, watching the others laugh from a distance. “Bra will come back safe, Vegeta.”

“Kakarot, be realistic,” the prince said, turning to face space. “I know, this sounds crazy, but…if this is her fate, I feel as if I should welcome it.” He was given a strange look from his rival. “We created General Son, but by treating Bra like a peasant, I have committed an even greater sin. If she turns to darkness, I must accept that path. Just as you have done.”

Goku sighed. “You believe that I’ve accepted what Goten has become?”

“Yes,” the prince said. “If you didn’t you would only call him General Son like Gohan does. Even after all of the pain and suffering that boy has caused, he’s still your son.”

Goku gave the prince a half smile. “It’s hard to think of him as anything but… his fall is my failure. After Chichi came clean about what he really wanted…that’s when I felt it. His fall wasn’t what made me feel betrayal, it was that I could have done something to stop it.”

“Hopefully, when Bra falls, I have time to set things right.”

* * *

Bra twisted through the air, driving her elbow forward into his chest. General Son moved back a bit with a grin on his face. She placed her hands together, gathering ki in her hands and fired. A barraged of electricity came up, blocking the attack. He grinned back at her as she panted. How many days had they been at it? She couldn’t remember. Her training had started out pretty basic, but after she got a taste for it, Goten upped his game.

“Let me get you something to drink,” Goten stated, walking over to a small hidden fridge in the training room. “Your form is still a little too wild. You need to work on calming yourself.”

“But it’s battle. Shouldn’t it be wild?” Bra asked as he passed her some water.

“It can be, but diving in without a plan could be costly. Your mind and body should work as one,” Goten said, sitting on the ground. “Have you ever tried to train your mind?”

“Are you talking about word puzzles or something?” the princess asked, sitting close to him. This was the only place she wore pants in the building. She had been given a plain tan outfit for training.

“No, to master your ki, meditation is key,” Goten said with a sly smile.

“You did not just make that pun.” Bra scowled as he laughed. “Goten, that’s horrible and you know it.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that what I say is true,” the General said, crossing his legs. “Copy me, now close your eyes and relax. Imagine the ki inside of you and let it guide you to your answers.”

Bra took a deep breath before closing her eyes. Her mind wandered a bit. How did anyone think about nothing? There were too many questions nagging at her.

“You’re not doing it,” Goten said calmly. “Find your ki. Stop thinking if you have to.”

The princess tried to focus, but all that came to mind was that ice cavern again. “It’s too blurry. That place won’t stop calling me.”

“Then don’t run from it. Go inside, explore. Find yourself. It may be buried there,” Goten urged her.

She tried again, this time following the voice into the cavern. A maze appeared before her. Bra found herself walking through it, listening for the voice that was calling out to her. She trembled in fear at first, but soon her body relaxed as she dove deeper into the caves. A room appeared before her, the alter beaconing her forward. She reached out for a small light blue stone, only for a scream to enter her visions. She fell back, opening her eyes quickly. Bra would have thought that she had hit the floor, but behind her, Goten stayed, keeping his back against hers. “Something’s there. In that place.”

“Are you sure, or is it your own fears coming to find you?” Goten answered, getting a glare from her. “You wanted me to be more insightful. I can go back to making puns.”

“Please don’t,” Bra said as he stood. “I am hungry through.”

Goten smiled down at her, offering his hand. “Then we shall head to the dining room at once. I bet Crofter has already laid out the spread.” He pulled her up a little too swiftly, causing her to launch into him. Her arms quickly wrapped around his neck to steady herself. “I know you like me, Princess, but to be so forward…” he teased as she glowered at him.

“Don’t be so flattered, General.” Bra pulled herself free of him. “You wouldn’t want to wound your pride.”

“No, I wouldn’t. But if anything, your presence only seems to fuel my ego.” Goten smirked. “You always seem to get hot and bothered when I touch you.” He waited for her to blush, finding that it always satisfied him.

Bra tried and failed as she blushed brightly. “If you could keep your hands to yourself, then it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“But your eyes tell me everything. I bet you want me to touch you more often.” Goten watched her look away from embarrassment. He began to turn red himself as his mind went in the gutter. “But I guess I’m the fool, I fall for your charms more than I would like to admit.”

“So, we agree. You’re a fool,” Bra answered as they walked into the dining room. Plates were indeed made up. “But maybe, we’re both foolish.”

Goten stared down at her. They had been together for almost a month now. Time had flown by. He was growing rather attached to her existence. “You know what they say about fools.”

“No, what?” Bra’s voice became a whisper as she stared up into his dark eyes. She knew what was happening now. The path she was on was set.

“They fall…” Goten whispered back, only for her to close the gap between them this time. The general groaned, pulling her close against him. The kiss was short, but at the same time, held the emotions they had both been holding back. “My Princess.” His finger trailed down her cheek. “I feel like I could break you…”

Bra could feel her heart beat faster as he kissed her again. “Goten, don’t worry. I won’t break.”

He smiled down at her. “Speaking of breaks, I think we deserve one.” He looked over to Basail, who had walked in. “Prepare my ship. The princess and I will be going away for the day tomorrow.”

“Yes, My Lord.” The butler turned and left, leaving the young couple alone.

“Goten, where are we going?” Bra asked as he took her hand.

He smiled back at her. “Wherever you ask, we will go.”

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chappie is so late today, y'all. What with the quarantine, we have both lost track of the days as well as our sleep schedules, and did not realize it was Saturday. Then I had to beta it... Anyhoo. Hope you enjoy!  
> -Pika

Bra felt a jolt of excitement as she finished getting ready. Part of why she wanted to go into space had to do with seeing other planets. Now that Goten had agreed to take her, she couldn’t stop smiling.

The princess looked down at her attire. Once again, he had her dressed like royalty. The long, dark purple gown fit tightly around her. The sleeves were cut open along the top, with lace hanging down. A small hood had been sown into the back, so she could easily hide her face if she wished. For once, there were no jewels, which Bra found herself preferring. “Pairau, do you know when the transport ship will be ready?” she asked, barely able to hold her excitement.

“General Son is set in the hanger. We well meet him out there,” the maid said with a smile. “I want to braid your hair, but the General asked to see it down.”

Bra turned red. “Yes, I was kind of hoping that it could be free today.” She didn’t want to upset the maid by telling her that the elaborate hairstyles often caused her to get a headache at some point in the day. If only those braids weren’t so tight. “You don’t have to escort me out there. I know where I’m going.”

“You do have free reign over this place, as well as the master’s heart,” Pairau said, gathering the linens. “You must feel lucky to have caught his eye. Many a maiden has tried, and they all failed.”

The princess looked back at the maid. “Have you thought about Goten?” she asked, but the maid shook her head.

“He is far too young to be mine, Princess. Besides, his heart belongs to one person and that person alone.” Pairau smiled. “Now hurry up, you don’t want to be late.”

Bra left quickly, heading towards the loading docks. She found Goten standing in actual street clothes for once. She almost giggled. It was weird to see him out of armor. “That’s quite the look,” she said, as he pulled her closer.

“Armor only breeds hostility. If you’re with me, I doubt that a fight is what we want.” He grinned down at her, but she giggled.

“Who knows, I like a little bit of action,” Bra stated, feeling his hands against her hips. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her. “You know, if you keep this up, my dress will be ruined.” She could feel his fingers starting to dig into her clothing, almost as if he wanted to rip it off.

He pulled up. “Yes, I would be wasting money then.” He grinned as he led her to the small speeder.

“It thought we were taking a bigger ship,” Bra asked as he sat next to her.

“That would only gather attention. Frieza would definitely catch me taking a prisoner out for fun,” Goten stated, turning on the engine. “There’s a nearby planet, outside of both Frieza’s and Patrol control. We can head there for the day if you wish.”

“Yes, I think that’s a great idea.” She said as they flew off. Bra’s eyes grew big as she watched space fly around her. “It’s so bizarre.” She said as his hand landed on hers. She turned to face him, only to blush. “What is it?”

“Sorry, it’s hard to pay attention with you around sometimes,” he teased.

“Only sometimes?” Bra giggled as he pulled her next to him. The seat was pretty long and stretched out. “What if I hit one of these buttons?”

“We would go flying off into space to our deaths,” he said, plain-faced, only to laugh as she looked at him in horror. “The look on your face.”

“You bastard!” Bra giggled. “Tell me what they do now!”

“You would only put us a little off course. Maybe send us into another star system,” Goten answered as he squeezed her hand. The General smiled out at space as he felt her move his hand on her knee instead. He looked back. “You know it’s not safe to distract the driver.”

“You can put it on autopilot,” Bra said with a grin.

Goten looked back down at her. “Are you so horny that you’ll be happy to get us killed?”

“Maybe we should test how much control you really have.” Bra smiled as the General turned on autopilot. “I thought that would work.”

“I think you just want to get in trouble today.” He grinned down at her, letting her move in as close as she wanted. He might as well. This was the road he had chosen. Fate told him that he was going to walk it or die trying.

* * *

Trunks had stopped to pack away his things. Mai would be back soon. He was waiting for her to return so they could go to bed. It was late here. Every time he came out into space, the heir found that his internal clock would get all messed up. He had no idea how anyone got a good night’s sleep in a space station. It made him happy that the patrol was stationed on a planet.

Mai returned, bringing him something to eat from the mess hall. He grinned back at her as she sat down next to him. “I can tell you’re worried,” Mai said, looking at the heir.

Trunks sighed. “I just don’t know what she was thinking.” He leaned back against the headboard of their bed. “General Son isn’t kind, and she’s already found that out.”

Mai looked down. “We’ll save her, Trunks.” She reached over, grabbing his hand. She knew that General Son was a sore subject. It didn’t help that she found herself blaming herself for that incident. She was young and wanted Trunks all to herself, so she was more than a little bitchy with her fiance’s former best friend.

“I can only hope that we get to her in time. There’s no knowing what he’ll do to her,” Trunks said as she leaned into his side, cuddling into him. Sleep would come to him soon, leading to the same nightmares that plagued him since the bond was severed. Maybe tonight, he could actually dream.

* * *

Bra looked around the small desert down in awe. She giggled as small children ran past them, playing what appeared to be a game like tag. Many stalls were open, selling all sorts of wares. Fresh meat and fish were laid out for the highest bidder. Fruits she had never see before and lavish tree nuts filled bins. The princess felt her mouth water as the General laughed. “I just didn’t realize I was hungry,” she said as her stomach growled.

Goten chuckled. “Get what you want. I can easily pay.” He walked forward, buying her a fruit that she picked out. “I’ve had those before. Tastes like a kiwi was cross bred with an apple.”

Bra took a bite, almost moaning at the flavor. It was just as he said it would be. Just what other hidden finds were there to discover? She took his hand as they walked down the busy streets. Never had she been allowed to wander so freely, but at the same time, she remained close to Goten. “What’s this?” she asked as they neared a section full of different colored rocks. Each stone looking vibrant in the blazing sunlight.

Goten looked down at the rocks then back up to the merchant. This wasn’t right. He could tell from the grade in front of him that these had to be stolen property. His eyes gazed down at the barrage of pendants. Each had been thieved from a fallen planet. He could tell from the different designs on each of them. “How much for the whole lot?”

The merchant grinned. “You think you have enough credits? Only a fool would buy me out this time of year,” the spiky alien said, picking up one of the jewels. “To think that this is all that’s left of the great Arlian empire. I heard they were taken out by a single warrior.” The merchant chuckled. “They’re grand hero destroyed them all. I couldn’t ask for less than 100,000 for it.”

Goten grinned. “You’re in luck then.” He placed a stack of credits down. “This should cover more than half of your stock.”

The man looked down, his eyes glowing as he looked back up at his customer. “I didn’t know you actually had the money. If you’re looking for certain wears, I could show you to my main shop.”

Once they arrived, the merchant was happy to explain the story behind each piece. Bra looked between Goten and the merchant. Something about this didn’t seem right. She had heard the story of the pendant in front of her, but couldn’t find it to be that interesting. Something about it had caught her captor’s eye, though. As the merchant walked back inside, she looked up at the General. “Is this that important?” she asked.

“Some of these are. I collect such treasures. You’ve seen my collection of speeches.” He grinned down at her as she rolled her eyes. “Now, I’m after a certain item that he may have in stock. We can learn a lot from lost cultures, Princess, especially our own.”

Bra cocked her head to the side as the merchant returned with a necklace. Her eyes fell on the large circular pendent. A circular purple stone lay in the middle surrounded by triangular shaped emeralds, surrounded by a dark jade. “What is that?” she asked, pointing down at the stone in the middle. For some reason, she didn’t know if she could breathe, while staring at it. She could tell that the chain attached wasn’t the original and most would consider it gaudy, but it felt like it was calling to her.

Goten grinned down at the piece. “How much?”

“A good 10 million will be good enough.” The merchant smirked as he looked down at his prize. “This here is a one of a kind. No other necklace is like this one.”

The general dropped the credits, only to notice that something was off. He sensed it, moving quickly to move Bra behind him as men surrounded them. He growled. “Are you attempting to rob me then?”

Bra looked around. Goten had the money, why were they going this far. She turned her back to the general, facing the fight around them. “I don’t understand.”

“Smugglers, every one of them is nothing more than a thief,” Goten snarled, feeling his skin pulse. He grinned as men rushed them, moving quickly, he sent waves of electricity through the air, shocking more than one at a time. The smell of singed flesh entered the arena as more dove for him. “Keep your eyes open, Princess.” He dodged an attack, grabbing the leg of his would-be attacker and frying it. He was really going easy on them. These were lower level smugglers, after all. He growled as something hit his head from behind, only to turn to find Bra kicking the same attacker in the face. Her body seemed to be moving on its own as she cut down a full line without his help.

The General stood there in awe as she formed a perfectly round ki blast before striking the man who had begun this attack. Bra was panting as she stared down at the destruction. “What have I done?” she asked, trying to look away. She trembled as Goten came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “I just…I just killed without…”

“They attacked us. Would you have preferred to take his place?” Goten could feel her turning in his arms and allowed it. “These smugglers took something of ours, don’t let your victory over them disturb you.”

Bra felt a chill under her skin. “Something of ours?” she asked.

Goten nodded, taking the large pendant from the table. “Did you know that the royal family of Planet Vegeta had no crown?” Bra shook her head. “It would make no sense to have one. If you run off into battle, its going to get in the way.”

“Goten, you wouldn’t carry a crown into battle even if you were a king. You should know that from human history,” Bra stated with a laugh.

“Humans aren’t like most sentient beings in that regard. I have seen too many a royal out here take those sorts of things into battle.” He removed her from his arms. “For our kind, it was no different. Instead, this pendant acted as the crown.”

Bra felt a hush come over her. “Then…then this would belong to my father,” she said, looking down at it.

Goten looked down at her. “You carry it’s royal blood.” Slowly, he grabbed a simple chain from the smugglers’ tray and attached it to the pendant. “If anyone should have this, it should be you, Princess.”

Bra felt as he put it on her. The cold metal of the back fell against her skin, but it didn’t weigh as much as she thought it would. For some reason, she felt balanced as he smiled down at her. “You know, I’m still hungry.” The princess said as he took her hand.

“Then let me rectify that,” the general said, grinning as they headed back into the market. He watched as she placed the pendant under her dress. “That would be wise. We don’t know what other filth is wandering around.” But he let go of her hand, as he pulled up a few more of the small jewels from the smuggler’s stand. “I’ll hold onto these.”

Bra rolled her eyes. “More for your trash heap.”

“You dare to mock my collections?” Goten joked.

“Yes, I do.” The princess giggled as she took his hand and they walked off into the city. The smuggler’s deaths no longer weighed on her mind. Instead, she finally understood the gravity of what came with power. Maybe Goten was right. Maybe there were issues where there was no grey.

“Should we talk more about your dreams?” Goten asked, as he locked her arm with his.

* * *

Vegeta and Goku left their sleeping quarters around the same time. Neither of them wanted to be disturbed. The prince was starting to understand why his rival had become so quiet in the years following Goten’s fall. With Bra gone and no answer, the Prince was growing colder…almost touching the fragments of his older self.

The patrol had shut down for the night, an action that made even Goku think less of them. They should have gone to train, but there were a couple messaging stations open and running. The earth saiyan would have preferred to train, but he knew a frantic parent when he saw it. Not that Vegeta ever really showed his emotions, but Goku had been in this position before.

As they sat down to talk, a transmission came in. Vegeta sighed as he decided to play it, but froze in place as he found his daughter and the General walking closely together. A spy droid must have been following them. Kakarot stared at the two intently as their conversation voiced itself through the speakers.

“ _Should we talk more about your dreams?” the General asked._

_“Literal or metaphorical?” Bra asked, looking up at him._

_“Either is fine.” The General seemed to be thinking over his words._

_Bra looked forward. “Its hard to say. This world is corrupt from how I see it.” She grabbed a piece of fruit from a vender and the General paid for it. “So many lives tossed away for nothing.”_

_“Yes, most have no idea what they’re fighting for,” the General stated. “The Galactic King has no heirs, but some ancient vision about the galaxy being wrapped in cold makes Lord Frieza believe that it’s his for the taking.”_

_Bra looked up at him. “The way you say that, it makes it sound like you don’t think it is.” She appeared curious. “If you don’t believe him to be the next grand ruler, then why are you beside him?”_

_“So many questions, but are you even ready for the answers?” General Son said._

_Bra only giggled. “Enough with the puzzles and teasing, Goten.”_

_“Oh, no. The princess is angry. I must be in danger of a good thrashing.” Goten only laughed._

_Bra’s eyes narrowed as she elbowed him hard in the stomach, causing the General to hunch over in pain. “I think that will be enough of a thrashing for now.” She smiled as the General pulled himself back up._

_“You have a lot more power behind those hits than I realized. Maybe training you was a dangerous move on my part,” Goten stated, looking over the crowd. “It’s getting late. We should return. There’s a war meeting tonight.”_

_Bra stopped in place suddenly. Her voice came out as a whisper as something appeared to put her in a trance. “That place.”_

_“What place?” Goten asked, looking very interested in what she had to say. “Describe what you see.”_

_“Towering caverns…ice cold water…an altar, some strange stone.” Bra started breathing fast as he shook her, causing her to shake free of that state. “What was that?”_

_“You’re having visions,” Goten stated._

_“Visions?” Bra asked. “But that place only used to appear in my dreams. Why now?”_

_“It knows you’re close to it,” Goten said, looking away from her._

_Bra moved behind him, placing her hand on his back. “Tell me.”_

_“Destiny is calling you. But are you prepared to walk down that road?” Goten said. “I wasn’t sure when those sirens began to call out to me all of those years ago, but once you step into the chamber and embrace who you are, there’s no going back.”_

_“I know who I am,” Bra said, looking unsure._

_Goten smiled. “Are you sure about that?”_

From there the transmission ended, leaving Vegeta and Goku staring at it in silence. They looked at each other then back at the frozen scene before them. “Now I’m just more confused,” Goku said, looking back at the prince.

Vegeta was still staring at his daughter. He found himself intrigued by what Goten had said. If there was to be a new ruler, then why hadn’t they heard of it? Not only that, why had one of Frieza’s men taken a prisoner out for a stroll? Bra looked to be unharmed and that one moment where she struck Goten, it appeared that she had caused some damage. The prince walked forward, deleting the message.

“What? Why are you?” Goku looked back at his rival, still looking confused.

“Kakarot, I think there’s more to this story than we’ve been told and that boy of yours knows all of the answers. For now, I think its best that we don’t share this with anyone else,” Vegeta stated, “Bra appears to be safe and well taken care of.”

“I just can’t believe that he’s training her. Why would he do that?” Goku asked.

“He may have seen what she wanted and given it to her to keep her happy. That, or maybe he plans to turn her against us. I have no clue why.” The prince crossed his arms. “Until then, you and I can start looking for this ice cavern that are in her visions.”

“Shouldn’t we at least tell Trunks or Gohan about this?” Goku said, only for the prince to shake his head.

“When it comes to Goten, Trunks won’t listen to reason. While Gohan believes Goten to be nothing more than a messenger of evil at this point due to that Namek. We should work alone until we’re ready to find the cavern ourselves.”

Goku nodded. “Who knows, maybe Goten isn’t as evil as we thought.”

To Be Continued…


	9. Chapter 7

Bra tossed and turned in her bed. It was late. Not that she wasn’t comfortable, but her mind was racing. It wouldn’t hurt to go get a drink from the kitchens at this time. She got out of bed, making sure that a robe covered herself. It was pretty hot that night. Did one of the cooling systems go down? She headed downstairs for water and instead found Goten siting in the living room. He appeared to be playing chess by himself…but that wasn’t what caught her eye. Why was he down here without a shirt? Sure, she had seen plenty of fighters, but his build was uncanny. There were a mix of scars and burns on his chest as well.

The princess stood in place as he made another move. Goten looked up, finding her on the stairs. “Oh…I thought you would be asleep. It’s late,” the General said, putting away the chess pieces.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She moved closer to him in the light, sitting across from him. “Something about this seems, familiar,” she stated, trying to think back, but it was foggy.

“It should, I was the one who taught you how to play,” Goten said, feeling hopeful. He was used to flexing his mind on his own. No one in Frieza’s army liked this sort of thing. Even Frieza didn’t show interest. “Would you fancy a game?”

“Yes, I haven’t played this in ages. Trunks started playing it with me for a little while,” Bra said, taking the white pieces. “I think this is appropriate.” She teased, as he took the black ones.

Goten smiled. “I’ll let you make the first move.”

She laughed. “So, you can learn my strategy? I don’t think so.”

“Really, now. I thought you weren’t so serious.” Goten looked down at the board, taking a few minutes to pick his strategy. After he made his move, Bra seemed to be focused on her first move. She was analyzing everything. He felt excited as she picked up one of her pawns, moving it forward. He looked over her decision. “Well played.” He grinned at her moving another of his forward. She laughed, getting his attention. “Interesting. You want to explain where you got these skills from?” Goten asked, watching her move another piece. “And why you stopped playing?”

Bra giggled. “Trunks got tired of losing to me. So that was the end of that.” She heard him laugh.

“Never could take a loss well. I’ve been in the same boat.” Goten smirked. “He refused to play against me after I crushed him for almost a month straight.”

“Yeah, he picked up the board and tossed it across the room,” Bra answered.

“It hit the ceiling when we played.” Goten laughed.

“Ours went out the window.” The princess almost fell over the board as she tried and failed to compose herself, but it appeared she wasn’t the only one that had fallen into a fit of giggles. Goten had fallen out of his seat from laughter and was turning red from a lack of oxygen. Bra stood up to check on him, but was pulled onto his lap. From there, he grabbed her stomach flipping them so that she was under him before beginning to tickle her. “Goten…haha, stop…” She attempted to stop him, but only melted into a puddle as he continued.

Goten was about to claim victory when he saw that her robe had come open. Sure, she had a night dress on, but it was pretty low cut on her cleavage. “I…” He began as he looked down at her, only to find her grabbing his face. “Let me help you find the place in your dreams.” He purred.

“Goten…” The way he said it sent heat through her. She watched his eyes, falling deeper into them as each moment passed. It just had to be, but she felt weak under that gaze. She wanted to feel vulnerable under his touch. “I…I can take you there,” she whispered.

Goten groaned. “We can find it together.” He could feel her small hands against his chest. Bare flesh was something he never intended. “I could still break you.”

Bra stared up at him, trembling as they kissed. Heat filled her, causing her to moan. Her hands slid up, grabbing hold of his face, keeping them close even after they pulled back. “What if I want you to break me?”

Goten let out a soft groan. “You’re tempting me…Are you sure about what you’re asking of me?”

“Goten, I…shatter me.” Bra found herself looking into those dark eyes. Electricity danced behind them as her desires came to the surface. “I want you.”

“Princess.” Goten moaned as her hand reached somewhere he wasn’t expecting. “We…we should move.”

Bra nodded as he got to his feet, only to scoop her up in his arms. She pulled him close, kissing him as they made their way down the hall. Warm sheets touched her back as he placed her down on a bed. She had no time to tell where she was. “Love me,” she whispered as he dove down, fulfilling her greatest desires until dawn approached.

* * *

Vegeta had called the four of them on some sort of trip. It had been a few days and for some reason, Trunks and Gohan had no idea where they were going.

Goku looked over everyone in the ship. They all looked so somber. “Guys, no one’s died yet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gohan asked, looking at Trunks. “We don’t know what’s going on.”

“I’ve been gathering some information and I believe that General Son and Bra will be heading this way,” Vegeta stated.

“Why?” Gohan asked as Trunks seethed.

“There’s a possible relic out there. It may be the reason why Bra ran off,” Goku answered.

“You think that Bra can sense a relic?” Gohan said, almost sounding amused at the concept. “General Son wouldn’t just travel alone. Some of Frieza’s men have to be going with them.”

Trunks growled. “I will not be made a fool of. That madman has my sister and until she’s back home and safe, I’m not going to run away like some coward.”

Vegeta sighed. “Trunks calm down. We will find Bra. This is the best way since we can’t find where he lives.” Keeping his true intentions to himself.

“He’s kept that pretty well hidden,” Goku said, almost impressed.

Gohan sighed. “Maybe it’s a planet that’s already been cleared.” It still hurt to think that Goten had become a monster. They had faced each other before. The patrol soldiers behind Gohan had all perished. That had been 10 years ago. The main person who ended up face to face with Goten tended to be Trunks and there was a massive power difference with the relic in effect. “But if there is another relic, does it mean that it belongs to Bra if she can see it?”

Trunks growled. “Why didn’t she just come to us about it? We could have been in and out. She never thinks things through.”

Goku spoke up. “Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on her? Bra’s always wanted to train. She wanted to come out here. I’m thinking she saw a chance and ran with it.”

Vegeta nodded. “Trunks, remember her position. When we find her, don’t be too mad.”

Trunks snarled. “She’s probably being tortured and you’re berating me?!”

“If she’s being tortured, stop calling her selfish,” Vegeta spat.

“Stop arguing!” Goku shouted, getting everyone’s attention. Rarely was the earth saiyan angry. “We will settle this when we get there.”

“I agree with Kakarot. Arguing does nothing but separate us. That’s what our enemy wants,” Vegeta said, looking up the coordinates. He stopped the communication before heading to train with Kakarot.

Gohan looked over at his friend. “What is it Trunks?”

“Can Bra really sense a relic?” Trunks asked.

“Who knows? This could be just a wild namek chase.” Gohan sighed. “The real question is why is Goten not going to the planet alone. Why take her with him? It doesn’t seem like him to work sloppily.”

Trunks sighed. “I guess after this Bra will believe me when I tell her someone is bad news.” He got into a fighting stance. They needed to up their training. If they were planning to go after Goten, they would have to give it their all.

* * *

Bra looked out the window of their ship as they landed. Her eyes went wide as the caverns appeared before her. “This…this is it.” She turned to Goten. “How did you find it so fast?”

Goten chuckled. “It’s in Lord Frieza’s domain. Hard to believe we never noticed it before.” He offered her his hand. “Come, its time to find your destiny.”

“You keep using the word destiny, but I still don’t understand.” She said as they headed into the caverns.

Goten held her hand tightly as they almost slid on the icy floor. “There are two kinds of people in the world. The strong and the weak. The strong move forward, never stopping as they run towards their goal, while the weak…”

Bra looked down and away from him. “I’m weak, aren’t I?”

Goten stopped in place before pulling her forward roughly. He grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t put yourself in the ranks of garbage. You hold more power than you know.” He could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. “I do not doubt if you’ve had many lovers. Men must fall at your feet, wishing they could get close to you, but you’ve done well with that power. Refusing suitor after suitor for their lack of drive, divine presence, and power. That is the call of a warrior princess.”

Bra found herself trembling. How did Goten know about all of her past boyfriends? Well, most of the guys that followed her around in middle school and high school were after part of her family’s fortune…not her. “But it was never me that they wanted…” She felt him lean down, placing his head against hers. She gasped at the closeness. Her mind began to flash back to the night they shared in each other’s arms. She hadn’t laid with another before then.

“After today, no one will treat you that way again. I swear it.” Goten didn’t know why he felt so angry. “You deserve more. Even the entire galaxy if you wished it.”

“But who would offer me such a thing?” Bra asked, only joking slightly. His eyes looked so passionate. Dark pools were beaconing her forward. “Goten…I…”

“Bra…” He said her name, this time closing the gap between them himself. It was the first time he had used her real name. Her lips never fought him, instead, they were inviting him, making him rejoice. Sure, that night of passion wasn’t anything he planned, but damn, he wanted to feel her like that again.

The princess found herself feeling up the front of his chest. Sure, he had armor on, but that could be changed. He wasn’t going too rough with her either, instead, the kiss remained sweet, but passionate at the same time. When he pulled back, she had to remember to breathe. “We still have a relic to find.”

“That we do,” Goten said, pulling away from her, but keeping her close. He tried to explain what had just happened to himself. They kissed. But it felt more than that. In that moment, his own destiny was beginning to truly unfold. He would send word to the others soon. Once Bra took hold of the relic in her dreams, a new age would begin. What was supposed to be nothing more than a simple path, had changed. A bond between them had grown, forming even stronger than one he used to have with Trunks. As they moved in the caverns, Goten began to wonder if this was the fabled emotion they called love. “Maybe when we get back, I can take that dress of yours off.” He covered his mouth as the words came tumbling out.

Bra turned red, then smiled. “I don’t think that’s a maybe.”

To Be Continued…


	10. Chapter 8

Trunks looked at Gohan, both could sense Bra on planet, but the heiress had something off with her ki. It wasn’t damaged, but instead, it seemed relaxed…comfortable, almost radiant as well. Something must have happened. But besides the discovery of a relic, no one could gather why. They had kept this knowledge between themselves.

Goku prepared himself, only to feel a small spark of ki... His eyes went wide. How long had it been since he sensed Goten? Earth’s hero was sure that the relic cut his son off from him, but now there was a small flicker. What did this mean? He had no time to ponder though as the doors opened and they rushed out onto the planet.

Gohan pointed to a nearby cave. “The relic must be in there.”

“I agree,” Trunks said. He looked back at the ice fortress. “I guess we can gather what this relic is.”

There was laughter among his comrades when Goku asked how Trunks knew, but that was forgotten moments later when they entered one of the caves. “Hopefully, this leads to the relic,” Gohan said.

“This looks like some sort of ice palace,” Goku commented, looking up at long icicles that hung from the ceiling.

“It probably was a long time ago,” Vegeta remarked. “Didn’t you say that you found treasure in one of these before?”

Trunks nodded. “Marron came across it.” He could sense his sister. They were getting close. He drew closer as an alter appeared in the middle of the room. It looks like they had gotten here first. “Let’s wrap up the relic quickly. Then we can destroy it once we get off this planet. I never got what made these things so special.”

“We’ve already allowed 3 relic users to appear under our watch. We can’t allow another,” Gohan said, catching the approval of his comrades.

Just as Trunks was about to grab it with the leather in his hands, a demanding force stormed into the room. General Son put his hand out, sending out dark lightening at them in waves. Large icicles fell from the ceiling crashing down and causing the z fighters to scatter or be impaled. “Just as I expected, taking things that don’t belong to you. Typical work of a patrol flunky.” Goten chuckled. He had left Bra deeper in the cavern when he sensed these bastards ahead.

“Son!” Trunks grabbed his blade, pulling it out just in time to catch the sparks. It was a good thing that he added rubber padding to the hilt ages ago. “Give me back my sister!”

Goten only chuckled. “You really think you have the edge here.” He shook his head, grinning as he was rushed by Gohan only for his brother to freeze in place. The General laughed. “None of you have seen this technique yet. I’ve been perfecting it for some time. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to move.”

Vegeta growled but stood still, as did Goku. The two looked at each other and back to the boy. “You will return…”

“You really think you have the power to take her from me? Interesting.” Goten chuckled once more, sending wave after wave of dark lightening into the air.

Gohan could feel his cells dying as Goten harvested their energy from them. He knew his little brother was strong, but he never would have guessed that he had gotten this far. “Let her go and we…”

“I don’t make deals. You should know this by now.” Goten turned back to Trunks. “It looks like after all of this time, the only one who even thought about a way to deal with me, would be you.” He laughed at the blade, bringing forth his own. “I believe you remember this.” He moved forward, ready to strike, when another entered the room. Goten could sense Bra behind him.

“What is this?” Bra looked around, finding her family, Goten’s family, all of them were in pain. Her brother looked at her, but she was distracted. So much pain…suffering. “Goten?”

“Don’t worry about them, Bra.” Goten stated as Trunks’s sword clashed with his own. “It’s time. Take your birthright.” He growled as sparks shot off from the two blades.

Bra stood in place. This was terrifying. How could this be the Goten she had grown to know? It didn’t make sense. She looked over at her father and Goku and felt confused. Why weren’t they moving in to fight? She walked forward, realizing that they must have known why they were here.

“Don’t listen to him, Bra. He’s manipulating you!” Trunks shot back.

“Do you really want to return to them?” Goten said. “How they made you feel at every turn? You must know what I’m talking about?”

Bra shook, but as she listened, the voice returned. The relic was beginning to scream. Instructions she barely understood were being gifted to her. If there was only a way to save them both. She ran forward, heading to the alter. “BRA! Don’t touch it!” Trunks shouted back at her.

“Yes, touch it!” Goten shot back.

She looked down at the stone. The voice was overpowering everything. Bra looked down. “I’m sorry, Trunks.” She reached down to grab it, only for a strange looking frog like alien to shoot his tongue towards her, knocking her to the ground.

Goten stopped what he was doing, looking back at the soldier, clearly in armor from Frieza’s army. He snarled. “You dare to put a hand on her?!” He jumped up, moving quickly and severing the hand of the toad before it could touch the relic. He snarled, sending more than one shockwave through the amphibian’s body. Its eyes bulged in pain as he fell to his rage. The whites of his eyes changed a dark black, and a sinister smile covered his face. He waved his hand through the air, taking pleasure as he messed with the alien’s very cell structure. Blue blood drained out of the creature’s orifices, hitting the floor as he was tortured for his disobedience. Fluids splattered onto his face as he took in the satisfaction of his kill.

Trunks backed away in fear. General Son had never used this technique before…at least never in his presence. They had heard about it, but never witnessed it. This was truly the work of a demon. He looked back at his sister, finding her pulling herself up. Maybe she could get to the relic and destroy it now. “Bra! Break it!”

She pulled herself to her feet but found Goten in a horrid state. She trembled but saw as he turned his attention to her friends…her brother and father, were both among the group. She gasped as she watched them shake in pain. All she could do was run. The princess ran towards the general, hugging him from behind. “Don’t do this. I know you’re still in there. Please,” she begged.

Goten froze in place, feeling her grip around him. He heard her voice, letting it slice through his rage. “Princess?” He questioned as his body went weak. He fell to the ground, feeling off. Poison? When had that happened? He found her looking into his eyes, looking panicked. “I…I think I need a nap.” He almost gave her a goofy smile as he slumped against her.

Bra began to cry as the voice returned. The relic was practically singing at this point. She walked up to the stone. Flashes of his darkness came to her, but she pushed those away. This was hers. The princess placed her hand down on the relic, clearing her mind as the power surged through her body. Cold tingles fluttered through her chest as her clothing and hair began to change. Saiyan armor in a light blue covered her chest, formfitting to her body perfectly. She placed her hand down on the table, feeling ice cover it seconds later. She almost smiled, before heading down to Trunks. She shook him awake, along with the others. Most were able to get to their feet, but Goten was still passed out.

Trunks shot forward with his sword, ready to end this, but his sister stopped him. “Trunks don’t do it,” she pleaded.

“Why? He’s a monster, Bra! You saw it with your own eyes,” Trunks said, as she pulled on his arm.

“Let us discuss this later. We can take him back as a prisoner,” Vegeta stated, walking forward with Kakarot. The earth saiyan lifted his son over his shoulder as they headed back to the ship.

Trunks growled but relented. As they made it back to the ship, he turned to his sister. “Now you know to listen to me about my past. When I say someone is bad news, take a clue,” he stated when they got to the ship.

Gohan remained in the room as Vegeta and his father took General Son away. Trunks had sat down, looking over at Bra. The Son could tell that her clothing had changed, but it appeared that her brother hadn’t noticed the change.

“Are you still going on about that?” Bra spat back. “Not everything has to be under your control.”

“Control?” Trunks sounded confused. “I think you’ve spent too much time with that bastard.”

“Listen to your brother,” Gohan said. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but it’s best if we send you home. It’s too dangerous for you out here.”

“No, I refuse. I have found my birth right and I won’t be locked away anymore,” Bra said, getting their attention. Slowly, she raised her hand, showing them the rune. “It absorbed into me.”

Trunks stared at his sister in shock. “How…?”

“I grabbed it before I woke you,” she answered.

Gohan looked back at the heiress. “Bra…you’ve only put yourself in more danger…”

“How could you do something so stupid?” Trunks snapped. “You really want to go to war that badly! Those things are nothing but pure evil!” He stood up, getting in her face.

“I can use it for the patrol…” she began, but her brother cut her off.

“You really think we’re going to let you fight with that thing inside you? The power is corrupting. You’d turn against us the moment you got an offer.” Trunks growled.

Bra backed away from him, tears falling from her eyes. “You really think so little of me…” He held his glare. “Nothing’s ever good enough for you. I bet you wished you had a different sister!”

“Well maybe I do!” Trunks shouted. “Then you wouldn’t be so selfish!”

Bra shrank back. Her insides felt icy as she looked back at him. “If that’s how you feel, I won’t appear before you again.” She turned her back, leaving her brother alone before running to her room to cry.

Trunks growled, preparing to punch the wall before his father’s hand stopped him. “Dad…”

“What was that about? Have you no control on your temper or will we have to go over that training once more?” Vegeta was pissed.

“She started it!” Trunks growled.

“But you may have just sent her back into the enemy’s arms. Don’t let your feud with General Son trickle into your other relationships. Your sister has been through enough in the last month. Berating her has only damaged her further,” Vegeta stated.

Goku sighed. “She’s lost…just like he was. If we go down this road, we will create another enemy.” He stood, looking at Trunks. “Never discount your family, because by the time you realize their worth…they could be lost to you forever.” He left the group behind with his words. His eyes grew wet as he almost ran into Bra in the hall. She looked like she was in a state. “Don’t take Trunks’s words to heart. He’s under a lot of stress. Emotions run high every time we run into…”

“He just thinks he’s always right. I can help…I really can.” Bra felt herself tremble as she thought back to the cave. Before the madness had started, they had been so close. “I want to go see him.” Goku looked back at the heiress finding her blushing. He nodded her off to the room where Goten was being held and watched her leave.

Vegeta walked up moments later. It appeared that Gohan and Trunks had gone to train their anger away. “That boy will never learn.”

“I say we keep Bra with us. Taking her back to Earth doesn’t seem like the right call,” Goku said, looking back at his rival. “She’s emotionally attached to Goten.”

Vegeta nodded. “It appears that way. I must judge him when the time is right.”

* * *

Bra stormed into the room where they were holding Goten. His arms were bound above his head and he was still knocked out. She reached upwards, touching his face. The General stirred, his eyes opening slightly. She smiled up at him. “Let me get you a senzu,” she began, but he shook his head. “Why not? You’ve been poisoned.”

Goten smiled down at her. “Did you take the relic?” He grinned as she reached up touching his face with the hand that held the rune. He kissed it, then centered himself. “You have the ability to heal me yourself.”

“What?” the princess asked, keeping her hand on him.

“Remember what we talked about…” His voice was growing thin and he knew he was about to pass out again. Goten felt his mind wander back to the planet. Why had that alien shown up? He didn’t tell Frieza where he was going. Someone had to be watching them.

Bra cupped Goten’s face, closing her eyes as she concentrated on the task at hand. She focused her ki, feeling the room grow colder. Something light and fluffy appeared under her fingers, melting into his skin. The princess opened her eyes to find Goten staring back at her. “Did it work?”

He lifted his head, looking around the room with a clear head. “It must have. The poison appears to be gone. Good job for your first try.” Goten still couldn’t move his arms though. The gauntlets used had to be made for him. They were too insulated for him to try anything, plus they had ki blockers on them. The General looked down at her, finding her in tears as she stared up at him. “It’s okay.”

“But you’ve been captured because of me,” Bra said, looking down.

Goten felt angry. “Don’t look down, Princess.” He caught her eyes wandering back upward. “Eyes so radiant only bring me misery when it rains.”

“What are we gonna do?” Bra asked, feeling a chill under her skin as she moved closer. She had no idea on how to free him. “There are no escape pods on board.”

“Then we go to the Patrol,” Goten said, then sighed. “Remember what I said, don’t trust anyone there. Especially, anyone claiming to be royalty.”

The princess nodded. “What about you? You’ll be tortured.”

Goten chuckled. “I’ve met with worse.” He smiled down at her as she leaned up to kiss him just as the door opened. The two froze as they found Trunks and Gohan staring back at them. “Oh, well this is awkward.”

Trunks growled, “Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” He stormed forward, punching Goten in the gut. “Let me guess, you’ve been doing lewd things to her from the beginning.”

Goten barely spit up blood but smirked. “Define lewd.”

Gohan snarled. “I can’t believe you would stoop this low! Raping a poor innocent girl…”

This time Goten snarled. “You think so lowly of me. Things haven’t changed, have they?”

Bra ran forward in front of Goten to attempt to stop any more attacks. “Don’t speak about things you don’t understand!” Trunks stared back at her looking enraged. “Don’t act like you care. You don’t have a sister, remember!”

Trunks growled. “You’ve stepped too far, Son.” He took a step forward, only for his feet to freeze in place. The heir looked down, finding the entire floor to be covered in it. “Bra, you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

“And you can never see when you’re the one at fault,” Bra stated crossing her arms. “Now stop with your holier than thou attitude. You’ve fought long enough.”

“Bra, you seem to forget that General Son is our enemy,” Gohan said, looking back at the man in behind her.

“No. No more General from either of you two. It’s Goten. Say it, you can do it!” Bra demanded.

Gohan shook his head. “Sorry, that boy died a long time ago,” he said, his eyes filling with disappointment.

“I’ve never heard that name before.” Trunks crossed his arms in frustration.

“Still as stubborn as ever,” Goten teased as Bra looked back at him. “Sorry, I’m not helping, am I? But when it comes to those two, I was nothing more than a tool or a carbon copy.”

“Don’t start with that bullshit!” Trunks snapped. “You were my best friend!”

“And you only called me when you needed me for something! That fucking bitch replaced me and you did nothing about it!” Goten growled.

“Don’t call Mai a bitch!” Trunks snapped.

“I can’t think of a more fitting title! She continuously mocked me and you did nothing. You stood there and let her. What kind of friend does that?!” Goten almost roared the last part. “You put her before anything. The only thing that mattered to you was our fusion bond and don’t even say it wasn’t. You know that’s true.”

Trunks stared back in shock. “That’s not what happened.”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Goten snapped back.

“Calm down…” Gohan began.

“And don’t get me started on you! The brother who got everything I ever wanted and threw it away. Let’s be honest, you were always the favorite while I was dirt.” Goten growled.

“You were always goofing off,” Gohan said trying to keep his voice calm.

“Yeah, because I didn’t want anything to do with those school books! But no one ever listens to what I want. I was a dumb kid who didn’t know what I really wanted, and everyone said I would thank them later. Oh, the irony.” Goten snarled.

“So you always wanted to kill innocent people! You’ve dragged our family name down so far that not even a wandering slug would want it! You’ve disgraced us all!” Gohan finally caved to his anger, lashing out, breaking the ice surrounding his feet, and smacking the General across the face. “I can’t even imagine being related to you.” He looked back at General Son’s bloody nose and held his stare.

“Reality must come as a surprise to you, then,” Goten said, looking away from Gohan. “I can’t even remember a time when you thought of me as a brother anyway, I was more of a bother.” As much as he hated to admit it, those words from Gohan had stung.

The doors to the holding room opened, shocking everyone as Goku walked in. The Earth saiyan looked at Vegeta’s children. “Leave. I wish to speak with my sons.”

Bra looked back, while Trunks stormed out of the room. She exited the room though, leaving Goten with his family.

Gohan looked over at his father. “Dad, there’s no point. We can leave him to the…”

Goku walked by Gohan and straight to his youngest. “I want you to tell me what your plans were.”

Goten rolled his eyes. “Do you really think I’m going to tell you anything?”

“Dad, the patrol can…” Gohan started up again.

“No, I want to hear what you have to say,” Goku said, not saying anything to his oldest.

Goten cocked his head to the side. “Old man, I think you’re off your rocker if you think that General Son will betray Frieza.” He made a joke out of it to see where his father was going.

Goku smirked. “I’m not speaking to General Son. I’m speaking to Son Goten.”

Gohan rolled his eyes only for Goten to smile. “Are you trying to tell me that you trust me, Father?” Goku only stared back at him. “I can’t tell you too much. If I do, it could put what I have been doing in jeopardy.”

“And about Frieza?” Goku asked.

Goten only laughed. “He’s been nothing but a pawn from the beginning. The galaxy as we know it is about to change and those who fear that change are out for blood, Father. If you wish to trust me, then let me give you one truth.”

Gohan couldn’t believe this. “Dad, we can’t trust him.”

“Come on, Old Man. For once, trust in me,” Goten asked.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s only trying to trick us,” Gohan spat.

Goten stared at his father. “Dad, help me. For once in your life, just let me be significant.” Goten looked away, feeling shameful for his pleading. “I know I’m not as good as Gohan in your eyes, but…” He froze as he felt his father’s hand on his shoulder. Their eyes locked. Goten could shock the Earth saiyan if he wanted to but didn’t. Goku gave him a smile. “There’s a commlink in my pocket. It goes back to my home. Contact my three servants to watch over the princess.”

“The princess?” Gohan asked, feeling confused by the General being open. “I still think this is a trap.”

Goku thought over his son’s words. “So, you want Bra protected, why…” Suddenly, everything in the earth saiyan’s mind came crashing down. The recording he had helped Vegeta destroy…this was the answer. What Goten was really doing finally made sense. “I understand, I will call them. Until then, Vegeta and I will watch over her.”

“As she returns home,” Gohan said with a smirk.

“As she remains in space,” Goku said back. His oldest gave him a dark look. “Bra’s power has grown. Vegeta and I see reason for her to stay. Unlike you, Gohan, I refuse to go back on my mistake. Now come on. We’ll be landing soon.”

To Be Continued…


	11. Chapter 9

Bra looked back as Goten was taken away by patrol soldiers. She wanted to reach out, but her father shook his head. She looked down and away from the General, feeling a cold wave go through her as the idea of separation came crashing down on her. She already knew that Goten was going to be tortured.

Vegeta looked over at Kakarot. The two had shared information the night before and the third class sent out Goten’s distress signal. It all came down to whether it would call Frieza or the group of servants like Goten said it would.

Trunks and Gohan were still being distant from them. Both were angry, but Gohan seemed to be the most offended by his father’s decision to do what Goten asked of him. The scholar and heir didn’t have too much time to think it over though as Mai and Piccolo came forward. Pan also appeared with a smile. “See, I knew you would find her,” the quarter saiyan said, going to Bra’s side. “You must be relieved that this is all over.” The heiress sent a glare towards Pan, but the quarter saiyan didn’t seem to notice. “That was a bad idea. You could have been killed. I guess you were lucky then, being untrained and all. AH!” Pan had no time to react as her hand was grabbed and she was tossed through the air, landing on her back.

Bra glared downwards. “I would stop looking down on me if I were you.” She practically spat venom down at Pan.

Uub came up, helping Pan to her feet. “There was no reason to do that. Pan was just being friendly.” He glared back at the heiress, who to his surprise wasn’t standing down.

“Bra, that’s enough,” Trunks stated.

Bra turned away from Trunks and back to the others, ignoring the heir. “Excuse me, it appears that I’ve appeared around someone who doesn’t want me.”

“Come on, Bra, don’t be so hard on Trunks. He was worried about you,” Mai began, only for the heiress to punch her in the stomach, causing her to hunch over. Trunks ran to his fiancée’s side, before snarling.

“You dared to touch my fiancée!” Trunks dove forward, only to feel shocked as she caught his punch. Her stare was icy as she twisted his arm around, almost breaking it until he was able to free himself from her grip.

“Of course, you of all people would choose swine,” Bra stated, turning her back and storming off. She pushed her way past those around her, heading up to the prison. She just wanted to hear his voice. Bra fell against the side of the building as her sorrow overtook her. Tears streamed down her face as she could almost sense his misery. “I love you…” she said the words, feeling the weight of the truth behind them. Words had never felt this heavy. Wasn’t love supposed to be uplifting? But with stone walls of concreate and steel between them, he felt miles away. She wished for nothing more than to erode those walls. He would embrace her, holding her close against his warm body. She would kiss him. He would say some awful pun and she would groan at his horrible sense of humor before laughing at him. As she crossed her arms over her chest, she felt the pendent he had given her against her skin. She tried to smile. He would think of something. Goten always thought of something.

* * *

Trunks paced as night came. He knew a ship was getting ready to dock and his father would be returning with the ones that Goten had been in contact with. Gohan and the rest of the Earthlings were sitting around a large fireplace inside their main living quarters. Bra had locked herself in her room and wasn’t letting anyone else inside.

“He did a number on her,” Yamcha said, getting the entire room to look at him. “I just never saw General Son as one for brainwashing.”

“She’s delusional,” Pan said, feeling angry about the earlier attack. “To think that monster is…” Her words were cut short as Goku and Vegeta returned with three people in hoods. Two were very short, while the other was a bit taller.

Gohan and the humans turned their attention to the newcomers, all of whom were waiting for an attack. Instead, they pulled down their hoods and began to examine the room.

“So drafty, it will take some time to clean all of this up,” the only female said, walking over to a window and pulling up dust on her white gloves. “The princess cannot live in such conditions.”

A smaller boy, who looked like he couldn’t be older than 10 walked up and looked down at some food that was on a small table. “Unacceptable, good thing I brought some ingredients with me.”

“I shall start some tea at once. The princess must be distraught over all of this. She should calm down soon. Tea always helps.” The oldest of the three opened his bag, pulling out a pot and some leaves.

The entire room looked so confused by the group, watching as they cleaned and cooked. The room filled with smells none of them had ever smelled before as Bra began to walk downstairs. The heiress stopped in place as she found familiar faces, only to run forward. She found herself hugging Basail from behind, the butler chuckled. “There you are, Princess. I was worried that you would catch cold in this place.”

“Those clothes won’t do. Good thing I packed up your things from home. These look dreadful,” Pairau said, with a smile.

Vegeta cleared his throat. “I know this is strange reunion, but I want answers, now.” If they could refer to his daughter as a princess, then they would have to know as her father, he was a prince.

“Have we been cleared to say anything yet?” the maid asked.

The butler nodded. “If Goten has asked us to come, it would seem so.”

Trunks rolled his eyes. This was getting out of hand. He looked over, just to find the cook placing his hand in the fire. It manipulated around the child’s fingers, doing as he wished it. “Ummm.” They all turned.

“Crofter?” Bra asked, as the child froze with the fire in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” the child said, dropping the fire back into the fireplace. He grabbed one of his gloves, pulling it free as he walked before Bra. He dropped to one knee. “My real name is Habanero.” A tail came free from his back side. “And I’m the fire relic user.”

“That’s impossible,” Mai said. “The fire one is…”

“That is nothing more than a fake. Only those with saiyan blood can become one with a relic stone,” Basail said, removing his own glove. “I’m sorry for the deceit, Princess, but my real name isn’t Basail either. It’s Leon, I’m the Air relic user.” A gray tail came from his backside, showing them the truth.

Everyone turned to the maid. “I’m Norima, the water relic user,” she said as her tail appeared.

Trunks and Gohan’s mouths dropped. They looked at each other, feeling more than confusion. “Just how…?”

“Goten found each of us on his journey,” Norima said with a smile. “I was once a showgirl…bought and forced to preform for the delights of my master. But 10 years ago, those dreams began. The strange planet, the stone that kept calling out to me. I didn’t weep when Son killed my former master. I was confused at first when he brought me to a strange planet. Before I knew it, I came face to face with what fate had called me here for.”

The child nodded. “My family had survived the purge. A patrol legion came by one day, I only survived because my mother pushed me down an old mining shaft. They all died. My whole family was killed for no reason.”

“That’s not right. The patrol wouldn’t do that,” Gohan stated.

Habanero looked up. “You weren’t there, how would you know? I know what I saw.”

“It had to be Frieza’s men.” Trunks agreed with his friend.

Fire appeared from the child’s hands. “I know that symbol. It’s been burned into my memory!”

Bra placed a hand on the child’s shoulder. “Not everything is how it appears,” she stated. “Goten said that we should trust no one. If he believes the patrol attacked, then they might have.”

“For what reason?” Mai asked, glaring at the heiress. She still couldn’t get over how Bra had punched her earlier.

“The prophesy,” Vegeta said, looking down at the fire, but he easily got everyone’s attention. “This war is all about that prophesy and who has the right to rule.”

“The Galactic King is kind of a no brainer, Dad,” Trunks said as Goku shook his head.

“Control of the galaxy is supposed to change hands. The bringer of cold is supposed to take the throne. It’s the reason that the current king is sterile. He’s not meant to rule, therefore, the world has shifted,” Goku stated.

“So being a frost demon, Frieza thinks the prophesy is talking about him,” Gohan said, then froze as he turned to Bra. “The relic stones…”

“That’s right,” Leon stated, bowing at Bra’s feet. “As the keeper of the relic of ice, she’s the true Queen.”

Bra turned red. “Me…there has to be a mistake…”

“No, it’s true. Goten bet his life on that being the truth from the beginning,” Norima said. “Has he ever called you anything but Princess?”

Bra tried to think, but it was impossible. He only used her name a few times and those times were rare moments between them. “I still don’t understand."

Leon stood. "Princess, our lives revolve around you, especially his. Us three had no bonds going in. That makes our connection to you our only path, but for Goten…he…the moment he took the stone, everything he would need to do flashed before his eyes.”

Norima grabbed the butler’s arm. “He had bonds, but they had to be cut. He had to divide himself from everyone he’s ever cared about. If he returned with his family, there was no telling what could happen. If he was out with Frieza, he could easily find us and have the resources he needed to find us.”

“He also feared the idea of putting you in danger. He knew your role in his life and would follow you wherever you asked. Keeping you safe was his number one concern. He even caved and trained you so you would have some idea on how to defend yourself,” Leon stated. “But there was one part of all of this that he didn’t plan for. He had no idea that he would grow to have feelings for you.”

Bra turned red. “He…he put his whole life on the line…for a stone.”

“No, he put his life on the line to do what had to be done. That boy knew his fate. He’s the queen’s enforcer. In his eyes, the galaxy is covered in darkness. No one can be trusted because they don’t believe in the darkness inside of themselves. But you, you’re the light. The only beacon in the darkness and he would do anything to protect you from harm, even if it meant his own demise,” Norima explained.

“The fate of the relic users is to protect the queen at all costs. Not that you’ll need protection once you’re trained,” the child said with a grin.

“I want him to explain it,” Bra said, feeling a sharp prick of pain in her back. She turned, looking out the window and towards the prison. “They’re torturing him…I, I can feel it.” Her hand landed on the pendent around her neck, making it glow.

Vegeta and Trunks looked at her in shock as she pulled the pendent out. Only for her father to rush to her side. “It can’t be…” He placed his hand over the stone. “It should have been destroyed.”

“Dad?” Trunks asked, moving closer.

“This is basically the crown of our people…the moonstone.” Vegeta couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “My father was wearing it when the planet was destroyed. It shouldn’t even be here.”

“Goten and I found it after running into some smugglers,” Bra stated. “I asked him about it, but he only said that it was mine and that everything would be clear when the time came.” She looked down at the pendent once more, touching one of the small triangles, only this time, it pushed inwards. She pushed another, looking back at her father as she did so. “It holds a secret.”

Vegeta looked back down at the pendent. “If there is a secret behind this, then where would we even start?”

Bra pushed down the stone in the middle, only for the entire room to be enclosed in a vision. Two men were talking in the middle of the room. One was clearly her own grandfather, while the other had to be Goku’s father.

_‘Has everything been prepared, Bardock?’ the king asked, looking out a nearby window._

_‘Yes, any day now it will begin. We both know our roles from here,’ Bardock answered._

_‘So, this is how our empire falls? Our kind being forced to go into hiding,’ the king said, looking displeased._

_‘But we will survive. We will return to fight another day, my King,’ Bardock stated. ‘My visions have never been wrong. A princess will be born soon enough.’_

_‘Yes, I have no doubt that my son will father the first queen in ages. But sending our planet into a dark patch till then feels like I’m over doing it,’ the King answered. ‘But I know our people will be safe.’_

_‘As for you and me, we will be facing a trial of our own. Doing such a thing, will force us to a time we do not know. We could go backwards or forwards…’ Bardock said._

_‘Don’t lie, I know you know where we’re going to end up. You suffer from the sight, which means you will hold a relic yourself,’ the king stated. ‘You’ve already foreseen the boy.’_

_Bardock smirked. ‘You speak of my grandson.’_

_‘I don’t like knowing that I have to trust the future of our people to a third-class boy whom I don’t know,’ the king said, ‘but we have no choice.’_

_“That boy will know the way, just as you and I do,’ Bardock stated. ‘That boy will be a true warrior of our kind. It’s his destiny.’_

_The king sighed. ‘No one can fight what’s in the stars. We will have to trust that this Sun will be enough.’_

_‘Son,’ Bardock said with a grin._

_‘Close enough.’_

The vision ended, landing them back in the current time. Bra turned to the other relic users. “Free him.” The order was clear from her as she walked forward. “Free him so we can free our people at last.”

To Be Continued…


	12. Chapter 10

Goten chuckled as he looked down at the inquisitor. This endless line of questioning was going nowhere. These fools really thought that they could get him to answer. How pathetic. “Are we done now? I see no reason to continue this game.” He made no sound as he was lashed from behind. Large gashes had been left by a whip as they attempted to get something out of him.

“You will tell us what Frieza has planned,” the patrolman said, looking back at his comrades. “Your King demands it.”

Goten snarled. “I have no king.” He spat after receiving a punch to the face, blood came forth, but that had to be more from the hit he took earlier at the hands of his brother. Goten held his glare. “I will never follow one who values his own personal gain over that of the people.”

“Says a man who’s killed innocents,” the inquisitor barked. “You follow Frieza’s commands. Your words are useless.”

Goten gritted his teeth as another round of lashes hit him. The General made sure to make no sound. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. “I see nothing but drones.” But as he attempted to speak, another figure joined them.

The Galactic King was grinning down at him. “How long did you think you could run?” He turned to his guards. “The boy is bound. There is no worry. Leave us.” The patrolmen followed their orders, leaving the two behind in the cell. The King chuckled. “You thought to follow the prophesy.”

“Why yes, the truth. Your reign over the galaxy is coming to an end,” Goten said, remaining calm.

The King shook his head. “Ah, yes. A fairy tale speaking of a world covered in ice. How humorous.” The squid like alien began to circle the saiyan. “To think that some out there believe such nonsense.”

“If it is nonsense, why are you threatened by it?” Goten said, grinning at the frown that was passed his way. “Admit it, you’ve grown sterile. The prophesy is in motion.”

“Frieza has no power here. The frost demons will never rule the galaxy.” The king stated, only to watch as the saiyan continued to smirk at him. “I see unending defiance in your eyes. No matter what the torture, you won’t betray your king.” The king was about to rant some more, when an idea came to him. “Interesting.”

“Oh, did you finally grow a brain or something?” Goten snapped.

“I never thought of it until now, but the Frost Demon’s power has never been ice. I always thought that such a story was talking metaphorically, but I never would have imagined if the story was more literal.” The King chuckled. “If you have no King, then maybe, just maybe, you have a Queen instead.” The king stopped in place in front of the saiyan. “Yes, that’s it. Isn’t it? Not a frost demon, oh, no. But a relic user like yourself, perhaps? All of the powers have been elemental so far.” The King laughed.

“You talk a lot,” Goten said, keeping his secrets hidden. Bra was already in danger from being on the planet. The last thing she needed was to be discovered. He faked a yawn. “I’m surprised anyone can listen to you for more than a few seconds without succumbing to sleep.”

The King chuckled. “So, sleep is what you want. I can arrange that.” He pulled a lever behind him, causing the General to scream in agony. “You will sleep, and I will keep my power.” He chuckled as the boy disappeared, leaving a small stone on the floor. “That should keep you at bay for now. Until then, let us find this princess of yours. The power is mine, you insignificant monkey. And don’t you or any of your kind, forget it.”

The king walked up to the stone, pocketing it as he left the prison and headed straight to a giant machine. He smirked at a few of his aids as they increased the input of their machine into space. Keeping those two stronger saiyans from going into their god forms had been hard but the frequency of this machine kept god ki at bay. If he really wanted to amplify the power he knew what he had to do. “Use the power from this.” He placed the stone between them.

One of the scientists smirked. “We could even stop them from going super saiyan with this.”

“Then our research was correct. The stones correlate the different powers of the species they possess. Unlike the others, a saiyan had to die in order to make the lightening stone,” the King stated.

“I believe so. Meaning that once we have control of the power in the stone, we can control the power of all saiyans.” Another scientist laughed. “They will all look to you, Our True King.”

* * *

Goten felt like he was falling. Waves of darkness came around him, hitting him at every angle. He knew what pain was, but this was a new definition. He kept falling, until he hit the ground hard. He was dizzy as he attempted to stand, but the world around him made him feel as if he were stepping into a swamp. He called out into the darkness, but found no answer. “Great. How am I gonna get out of this mess?” He walked forward, only to hear a sound in the distance. That was odd. How long had it been since he heard that voice? Decades had gone by since he had heard that call. Those dreams had stopped when he had taken the stone, but now…now he was inside the stone. Was he, perhaps, listening as it called out to another?

Goten shook his head. If that was the case, he would be dead…wouldn’t he? He took a step back as he looked up. There was just no end in sight when it came to this place.

“I was wondering when you would get here.” Goten jumped as he turned to find a man who looked a lot like his father. The man grinned back at him. “I see you’re surprised.”

“Just who are you?” Goten got into a fighting position as the man laughed at him. “Don’t think you can mock me for a second, old man!”

The older man grinned. “You look just like my visions said you would.” He walked forward, sensing the confusion in the boy’s voice. “You still have much to learn, my grandson.”

“Grandson?” Goten backed up. “No. That makes no sense. You couldn’t be my grandfather.” He looked around. “The darkness has to be playing tricks on me.”

Bardock chuckled. “It’s simple, child. Every warrior who has held this stone will appear here.” He could see the boy looking around. “You look flustered.”

“But I thought the stones were used for a millennia,” Goten stated. “That’s what the legends said.”

“Not all legends are correct. The other stones have called to others in the past, but you and I are the only ones to hold this sort of power,” Bardock stated.

“Don’t try to fool me. There’s no way that someone from your time could possess a stone,” Goten stated.

“You know how hidden our people were after Frieza, do you not?” Bardock answered, watching the boy look annoyed with him. “Then you do know. I left you the clues to such a thing as did King Vegeta.” The older man stared back up at the darkness. “The pact we made caused a rift. The planet was pulled to safety, but me and the King were transported to a different time.” He snickered as he remembered back. “From there, I discovered that I was the one who was tasked with becoming the first user of this rune.” He smirked. “And the idiot I had to kill for this power was quite the tool. Thinking he was better than everyone else.”

Goten rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time to listen to your inferiority complex.” He crossed his arms. “I need to return to the princess’s side.”

Bardock chuckled. “Those are big words for someone like you. I believe you once felt inferior to someone else, didn’t you?”

“This isn’t about me, old man,” Goten said, sending a shockwave towards his grandfather. Only to be baffled as the man not only caught the wave of electricity in his hand, but threw it up in the air, causing a rumbling in the darkness. Flashes fell as rain began to pour down. “How?” Goten felt a mixture of intrigue at the level of power. He was strong, but this was a completely different level.

Bardock chuckled. “I was the one that mastered this power first. It helps that the creature I took down still lives in this place as well.”

“Creature?” Goten asked.

“It was another saiyan. Always bragging about being some sort of god. I showed him.” Bardock chuckled, only to glare up as another being looked down at them. He was clearly saiyan. Goten found a very old fur outfit covering him. “And here is the idiot now.”

“Fate doomed me to spend time with a being as intolerable as you, third class.”

“Goten, meet Wunaki. The man that attempted to steal the crown from the royal family.” Bardock grimaced.

“You trusted our people to that woman. She and her kind are to be silent. Strong sons are needed, not some hormonal wench,” Wunaki stated.

Goten looked back at his grandfather with a grin. “Oh, I’m gonna have fun bashing this one’s face in.”

“Like a third class can defeat me!” the intolerable saiyan began. “This is my power alone. The Gods made it so.”

“A power you also stole,” Bardock stated. “And if I remember correctly, I took you down after my Queen dragged you to hell.”

“That sow had no right to rule!” Wunaki shouted.

Bardock frowned. “She united our people and the galaxy. She learned from her mistakes, unlike you.” He looked back at Goten. “See, even in death, we’re stuck with this idiot.”

Goten shook his head. “I’m not dead.”

“For once, one of you has a brain.” They looked up at the crazy man. “You’ve been weakened to a degree that you’ve fallen into the stone. This simpleton believes he’s alive in here. It’s only a sliver of our conscious. Bits of our souls are embedded into this rock.”

“Then how do I get the fuck out of here?” Goten looked around as the snob spoke again.

“You have to find the path. There’s a weakness still holding you back. Until you break the weakness and come to terms with it, only then can you leave.” Wunaki pointed to Bardock. “I will say that if you fail to conquer your demons, you will be locked here till you die. Then you will join the darkness.”

Goten’s eyes went wide as he looked up at the cloud above him. How many had failed…he couldn’t keep up a count in his head. The general almost forgot how to breathe. He just didn’t understand. What was he missing?

* * *

Bra walked forward, only to feel a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. The sharp pain forced her to her knees. “I…” Behind her eyes, she could only see lightening.

Vegeta dove downward. “Bra…Bra?” It was almost as if she was catatonic. She had been fine moments ago. Suddenly, her body changed color as Kakarot grabbed her shoulder, only for them to all feel like they were falling.

Back in the room, Trunks and Gohan stood in horror as not one, but all of the relic users began to fall into their stones, covering the floor with them. Each group took a pair with them. Their fathers, fell into Bra’s. Piccolo and Krillin fell into the wind user’s. Tien and Yamcha fell into the water user’s, while Uub and Pan fell into Fire.

Gohan was shocked. “I…what’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Trunks said, looking back at Mai. “Maybe it’s a defense mechanism?”

“But there was nothing to defend,” Gohan stated, as Mai and Marron began to pick the stones off the floor. “We should probably move those to a safe place.”

“Yeah, I bet someone is after them,” Marron said, getting a few looks from the others. “I do wonder if every one of them is going through this right now…cause if that’s the case, then so is General Son.”

“I wonder who went with him,” Mai stated, only to look back at her fiancé. Trunks stormed off, but she followed him. “We need to talk.”

The lavender saiyan turned to face her. “This isn’t right.” He shook his head. “Why wasn’t I chosen? It makes no sense. I’ve been training my whole life and this is what I get.”

Mai shook her head. She knew how Trunks acted when he was angry. “I think you’re just confused right now. The legends said a princess. You’re not female, Trunks.” She walked up, touching his face. His blue eyes gazed down towards hers, telling her what was really bothering him. “You’re conflicted about Goten.”

Trunks tried to look away, but she held his face. “It was supposed to be the two of us till the end. He was supposed to fight by MY side.”

Mai frowned. “Even after all of this time, you still care for him.” She finally smiled. “But sometimes in life our paths change.”

“I don’t care! In what world would I care for someone who betrayed me?!” Trunks pulled out of her grasp. He was still at a loss. Just because their bond had to be cut didn’t mean that Goten had go with Frieza. They could have gone on this adventure together…like old times.

Mai stared at Trunks’s back. “You clearly do. You tell me and the others that you’ve moved on, that you don’t care, but even now you still lash out. You still feel the pain of his loss.”

“I told you I’m fine!” Trunks snapped, turning back to stare at her, only to find Mai shaking. He tried to calm down. “I’m sorry, Mai. I’m just tired. That’s all.”

“You feel left out,” she said, drawing closer. “Almost as if you were forgotten.”

Trunks was about to speak, only for him to tense up. Something about her words sounded familiar. “Why are you defending him now? Back then, you were always pointing out his failures?”

Mai sighed. “I was jealous,” she said, blushing. “Trunks, every time we were together, even when we were alone…you wouldn’t stop talking about him. Even after our first kiss, you wanted to call him and brag.” She looked away. “I felt pushed out.”

This time Trunks blushed. “He…he was my best friend.”

She looked down. “Can you find him again, or is it too late?”

Gohan walked back, telling him that the others were still encased in the stones. “We have a problem.”

“What’s going on?” Trunks asked as he watched Gohan attempt to form a ki blast. Only a small ball of energy pooled into the genius’s hand. “What about it?”

“This is all I can do,” Gohan said. “I hate to admit it, but something’s starting to seem fishy around here.” The Son looked back at the stones in Marron’s care. “Everyone needed two people to go with them…what if Goten doesn’t have two people?”

Trunks froze in place. “Are you saying that you and me?”

“I don’t know why, but something is telling me that we need to find the electric stone as soon as possible,” Gohan stated, feeling a sense of dread.

Trunks left Mai’s side. “It should be in his prison cell.”

Gohan pulled Trunks over to a small window and pointed upwards. They both covered their ears as a sonic wave removed the last portion of their ki from them. The two stared at each other in shock. “I never thought I would see the day when I needed to rescue General Son…”

Trunks looked down, then back up. “No…” Gohan looked back at him. “We’re rescuing Goten.”

To Be Continued…


	13. Chapter 11

Trunks and Gohan left Mai and Marron quietly. The women already knew their mission. The two half saiyans had them hide the stones in different ventilation vents, making it so that if the compound was attacked while they were gone, it would be difficult to retrieve all of the stones.

Trunks made sure to keep an eye out. This was so odd. Normally, he would have access to the ki of those around him…now he was left with none of that. It was almost as if he was a child again. Back before the days of his father’s intense training.

The two said nothing, relying on hand motions and signals to get around. Soldiers seemed to be more on guard than usual. Not guarding the prison, like they initially thought. “It looks like they’re more focused on the communication building.” Gohan stated, looking back at Trunks. “I wonder if that dish there has something to do with our lack of ki.

“Maybe it explains why Dad and Goku can’t use god ki, either.” Trunks said, looking back up at the thing. “If I could make ki blast, I would demolish it.”

“We’ll have to find another way.” Gohan looked over the patrol uniforms. “It looks like we’re going to have to go undercover.”

“But they know our faces.” Trunks said, looking over the squads.

“Yes, but the king’s royal guard have helmets that cover their faces. We should have enough physical strength and brain power to steal a couple of outfits. That should allow us clearance into the communications building as well.”

“But where are we going to find guard uniforms…” Trunks began, only for a group of men in a unit to fall back. Luck had to be on there side as three royal guards stopped to chat a few paces in front of them. Trunks gave Gohan a nod as they quickly dispatched the soldiers before dragging them off behind the tank they were hiding behind. Moving swiftly, they changed their clothes and dawning the helmets of the royal guard. “This is so uncomfortable.”

“I hear you. This fabric binds in all the wrong places.” Gohan grabbed a blaster, sensing just how wrong it felt in his hand. “So uncivilized.”

Trunks held back a laugh. “I guess if it gets the job done. Now come on, we’ve got a stone to find.”

The two headed towards the communications building finding that their luck was even greater than they hoped as Gohan’s suit had a serial code for entry clipped onto it. They only gave the other officers a few words at the time. The helmets distorted their voices a little, making their plan practically fool proof.

As they reached a small room inside, there were more than a few scientists running around. “You must be the replacements for the night crew. I will tell them to head back to the barracks.” One of the scientists said, motioning to guards away from a large machine. Attached to it, Trunks could see the stone floating in the middle. “Amazing isn’t it. The power of that stone is quite overpowering. To think that a single being could control it seems farfetched.”

“That saiyan was a fool.” The lead scientist answered. “General Son’s failure will mean a victory for our King.”

Gohan and Trunks waited for the right moment, giving each other the signal as they pointed their blasters upward, opening fire in the chamber. There were screams of horror as they were cut down a few of the scientists. Gohan let Trunks take the lead on the attack as he turned back to the machine. There should be some way to turn it off. As the half saiyan finally got the electric stone free, the room filled with soldiers. Gohan could feel it under his skin. His ki had returned to his body. “Trunks, lets blast our way out of here!” He flew up, catching the lavender saiyan’s eye.

Trunks caught up, flying up himself as the two of them sent out a massive blast of energy through the room, sending their former allies back. Fire enclosed the building, locking those who opposed them within. “We need to get out of here.” Trunks could hear soldiers headed this way.

“Fall back to the swamps. They shouldn’t be able to follow us there.” Gohan said, flying forward with increased speed. They quickly found a bog, hiding in the water as aircraft flew overhead. It took everything they had to hold their breath. It appeared as if the first wave was over.

“They’ll be back.” Trunks answered, looking up at the sky before staring down at stone in Gohan’s hand. “Now what?”

“I don’t know. How do we even get pulled into this thing?” Gohan said, looking down at the soft textured stone. “I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.”

Trunks chuckled. “Yeah…he would have enjoyed it.” They looked at each other, laughing at the irony of it all. “We could have been on the same side the entire time…I bet it would have been a hell of a lot more fun.”

“Instead of getting defensive, we should take the time to listen.” Gohan agreed as they both noticed the stone was glowing. “I think it’s time.”

“Yes…let’s go.” Trunks said, as they placed their hands on the stone, allowing themselves to be pulled into the darkness below.

* * *

Bra looked around the strange landscape. Why was there so much ice? It felt a lot like the cavern where her stone had been found. She looked back, finding her father and Goku standing there. “Where are we?”

“I believe we’re inside the stone.” Vegeta said, looking around. “Possibly, we were pulled in to assist you.”

“This is one hell of a training ground you got here.” Goku smiled.

“But why you two?” Bra asked. Why was someone here to train her at all?”

Vegeta grinned. “You’re to be a queen. It would make sense that you would train under the two strongest warriors.”

Bra heard a flash behind her as another being appeared. A beautiful woman stood there cursing. “Hello? Are you the first user?” She asked as her father and Goku turned to face the vision.

The woman looked down at herself, growling at her appearance. “This isn’t funny, Zera!” The former queen turned, hitting frost demon spirit from above, knocking it to the ground. There was a flash, changing the woman in front of them into a man. “Stupid time paradox thing.”

Vegeta froze in place. “That’s…It’s impossible.”

King Vegeta turned to face his son. “I thought the same thing. Of course, that third class mystic got to remain male. When we appeared in the past, I awoke as a woman.”

Goku’s eyes went wide. “That can happen?!” He looked down, almost checking that his body was intact.

“Fool. It won’t happen to you. You didn’t make a pact on the royal crown as I did.” King Vegeta turned to face the frost demon who was getting to her feet. “This creature is the one I defeated to create this stone. There have been other’s after me to hold this stone, many are here to help you on your path.” He was only speaking to his granddaughter at this point.

“What about the others?” Bra asked, as the man turned back to her.

“Fire, Water, and Wind should be fine. If they have partners to help with their training, they can overcome. No, the greatest trials are for lightning and ice. Ice must learn to rule, while the lightning must learn to harness the darkness inside himself.”

“What does that even mean?” Bra asked.

“You’re focus is wrong. Love has clouded your vision at the moment. You’re a ruler. Focus on the fate your subjects first.” The King stated. “Now, you are only a fledgling with this ability. It is the time to hone your power. This training won’t be so simple.”

Vegeta looked over at Kakarot. They were still confused by all of this. “You want her to train, but you need physical bodies here for such a thing?”

The King nodded. “It was as you said earlier. Strong warriors will be needed for her to grow stronger.”

“Just one last question.” Goku said, getting the royals to look at him. “If you were made a woman, did you have a husband?”

The king’s ghost blushed. “If you must know, I had a male provide his…seed for such a thing. But I did take another queen as my mate.” The king noticed the looks given to him. “Just because I switched genders, doesn’t mean that I sudden found myself attracted to men.”

“How about we just get to the training.” Bra said, trying to change the subject. The faster she learned her path, the faster she could return to the fight outside of this place. Her mind wandered to Goten. She hoped he was okay. She could only imagine him taking this path alone. The thought saddened her. Hopefully, they would be back together soon.

* * *

Goten felt annoyed as he tried to meditate. That’s what Bardock told him to do. His mind wouldn’t clear though. All he could see was the same visions over and over again on repeat. Each time one ended, he would almost awake in a cold sweat. It made no sense. He was over those days. Those crimes he had done, he was at peace with all of it.

As the Son attempted to relax, he could feel himself being pulled back into the vision. He was a child again. Begging for some level of attention, Goten tried to push back against the vision, but this time, the walls around him wouldn’t fall. Panic came over Goten as he tried to zap the walls. Normally, stone would fall to him. He shook this wasn’t right. He needed to get out of here. Voices sounded around him, screaming in his ears. Goten placed his hands against his ears, hoping to block out the endless waves of sound. “STOP!” He shouted, but his voice was lost in the void around him. This is what it was to truly be alone. He faded downward, feeling his mind drift away as he was pulled into the darkness.

Gohan looked around at the strange swamp. Did they actually make it within the stone? There was a dark fog around them, but everything else looked almost the same. “Trunks?” The older half saiyan asked, only to find himself alone. What had happened? Did he not go inside the stone, while Trunks made it?

Before he could make a decision though, Gohan began to hear a strange tune across the fog. A voice…was it singing or talking really fast? It was hard to tell. But his footsteps fell quickly against the ground, heading towards it for some reason. It was hypnotic, bringing him closer as the fog around him began to surround him. A vision appeared before him. A much younger Goten was staring down at the ground, looking disappointed for some reason. Gohan walked over, waving his hand in front of the boy’s face, finding that the vision gave him no response. This had to be an illusion.

The genius turned to find his mother dotting over him, while Goten remained in the corner. Chichi began to talk about grades, giving Gohan praise, while getting agitated at Goten. The older Gohan continued to watch until he heard his mother speak once more. “You have to work harder, honey. The world out there is hard. You have to be prepared to take a respectable job someday.”

Goten looked up at there mother. “But I don’t want to…can’t I train like dad?”

Chichi sighed. “Honey, if you take a path like that. You will only disappoint yourself. Now come on, we have some studying to do.”

Goten stared back down again as their mother walked away. “I never get to have any fun.”

Gohan watched as the younger him walked over to his brother. “Don’t be so sad, Goten. You’ll get it figured out soon enough.”

There was a grumbling as the vision changed. Pan was being trained by their father. Gohan felt proud for a second as his daughter beat Uub into the dirt. “I did it, daddy.”

Out of the house came an early teenage Goten, the boy only looked over the group with a frown on his face. “Why isn’t Pan studying?” He asked.

“Goten, this is just for fun.” The younger Gohan said, making the older one flinch.

“Why does she get to train and I don’t?” Goten asked, crossing his arms.

Gohan sighed, leading his little brother away. “I know your becoming a teenager, but please don’t ruin this for Pan. She’s really excited about learning to fight.” The present Gohan facepalmed. How could he have screwed up this badly? “Besides, don’t you have plans today?”

Goten sighed. “That’s none of your business.”

“Don’t have that tone with me, just cause you don’t get your way, doesn’t mean you have to throw a tantrum.” Gohan stated.

“You make me sound like a child.” Goten tried to push past Gohan. He had better stuff to do than listen to this shit.

“You are a child! Where do you think you’re going? You don’t get to walk off while I’m speaking to you.” Gohan followed Goten out of the yard and into a nearby field. “Listen to me!”

Goten stopped, but didn’t look back at Gohan. “Could you just leave me alone!”

“Not with that attitude!” Gohan shouted, pulling on his brother’s hood.

Goten turned around swiftly, catching his brother’s arm before stopping in place. The you turned his head to the sky and stared for a few moments.

“Hey! Listen to me when I’m talking to you!” Gohan snapped, causing Goten to jolt. “Middle school is going to be hard, but you can get through it. You’ll thank us when you finish.”

Goten’s eyes narrow. “Its always about what you want.”

“You don’t know what you want.” Gohan stated.

“How would any of you know! You’ve never been around to listen!” Goten growled.

The present Gohan felt an odd shift before he realized he was now in the body of his former self, looking down at a boy whose eyes were broken. How did he not see it before? The sighs were so clear. “We could talk about it.”

“Talk? Talk! Now you want to talk! You’re unbelievable.” Goten shouted back.

“Calm down.” Gohan began, only for him to hear the words he knew where coming next…the last words he heard his younger brother say to him before…the end.

“I hate you!” Goten snapped, only for Chichi to come out of the house and slap him.

“Son Goten! Apologize!” The housewife screamed at her son as the vision faded away.

Gohan finally felt like he could breath as he fell into the swamp below. Tears welled his eyes before falling into the water below. “Its…its my fault…Goten…I’m sorry.”

To Be Continued…


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg A chapter. It feels like forever since I posted. Sorry for the delay, I have been both busy and working on other projects.

Trunks looked around the fog, sensing outward, he found someone slumped into the swamp. Creatures were swimming closer to the fallen, looking for a meal. The heir dove forward, knocking them away quickly. Did Gohan land weird? He asked as he pulled the Son to the shore. As he looked down at his companion, he felt a string of horror fill him. This wasn’t Gohan…it was Goten.

Trunks began to shake Goten furiously. There was no gasping for air, only eyes wide, baring the look of death. The heir could feel himself shaking. “Wake…Wake up!” he growled. “You…You don’t get to do this to me!” Trunks wouldn’t accept this. He had finally come to term with his feelings about his best friend. Months ago, he would have wished for this. “Get up…Goten! Get up!”

Nothing happened. The body remained in place, torturing him. “How can you forgive me if you’re dead?! Did you not think of that?” Trunks’s face fell into his hands as the years of pain and despair unleashed themselves. Never had he openly sobbed like this. “Who am I kidding? I never wanted you dead!” He looked down at the body, still hoping for movement.

Behind him, Trunks heard a set of giggles. The heir felt angry as he stood to attack whoever thought it wise to laugh at him. His eyes went wide as two small children began to run around the swamp. They were fighting a snake, causing Trunks to remember when this had happened. It was before Videl and Gohan had gotten married. They had fought a snake to get some water for Videl’s skin…now Trunks new that it was the simple imagination of children when it came to the water.

He could hear Goten’s laugh, a call-back to a similar time. “Don’t leave me,” Trunks said quietly, almost reaching forward.

The scene before his eyes changed to the cave…that horrid day. Of course, he would be made to relive that torture. Every word, cut into him, leaving him with deep wounds. Watching the fusion bond be destroyed once again, Trunks felt his eyes flood. Why was he so useless? “I failed you…I’ve always failed you.” He dropped to his knees, staring up at General Son’s deeds. Watching young children die, some being used as shields by patrol soldiers. Just how blind had he become to the world around him? “You never needed me…It’s true…” Trunks looked up at the dark sky, “Since you left, no one has filled the void. This wound I have, never heals. It scabs over, just for me to rip it off daily.” The body had come into focus in front of him once more. Still lifeless as it had been before. Trunks gritted his teeth. “You don’t get to do this! I know you’re still in there.” He placed his hands on Goten’s chest. Memories began to flash before his eyes. “Don’t lose yourself. The galaxy needs you!” He remembered their battles. “Bra needs you!” The way his sister looked at Goten came to mind before another vision came to him. The two same boys, they were laying in the grass, looking up at the stars. They spoke of their dreams for the future. “I need you!” Power flashed under Trunks’s hands as his ki pulsed. He shouted as he pushed more of his power forward.

Trunks heard a voice behind him, telling him that Gohan was there. “Are…are we too late?” Gohan said, moving next to Trunks. The older Son’s eyes filled with tears. There was nothing that could have prepared him for the corpse of his own brother. The last words between them had been those of mistrust. “I…I’m sorry.” Gohan tried to stand, but felt the weight on his shoulders. The darkness felt as if it would swallow him alive. “I should have spoken up for you. I didn’t want you to suffer as I did!” Gohan’s grief was taking over. “I just wanted you to be safe!”

Trunks looked down at Goten’s face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m such an idiot!” The heir felt the wound inside of him grow. “Goten...please…”

Gohan pulled Trunks to his feet. How was he going to tell his mother about Goten’s death? His father? Bra? It was all unfair. As they turned their backs, wondering how they were going to get out of here, there was a loud cough behind them. Both turned quickly to find Goten sitting up. They turned around quickly, finding Goten vomiting up water and mud. The younger Son was panting as his eyes glanced up, the world was still spinning. “How much more of this old man…” he said, almost passing out once more as two pairs of hands grabbed him. Goten felt confused until the swamp around them came into focus. “Trunks? Gohan? Now I have to be dreaming. This place is messing with my head.” Seconds later, he was being hugged. “Old man, this is one weird vision.”

“You’re alive,” Trunks said, still crying.

“Why are you crying?” Goten felt a chill at the mortified look on Trunks’s face. When he had fallen in the darkness, voices had called out to him. Words of sadness…sorrow…pain. The boy felt his eyes begin to mist. “Trunks…”

“Goten…” The heir’s fingers were digging into the former general as tears stung his eyes. Trunks didn’t think he ever cried this much. “I’m sorry…It’s all my fault.”

Goten began to shake his head. “I…I should have…”

“You had every reason to turn against us.” Gohan said, looking away from his brother, keeping his eyes out of view. “You’re a fighter, Goten.”

“I don’t understand…how are you guys even here?” He looked around the bog, feeling puzzled as to why it had to be them. “My weakness.” Bardock’s words came to him. Was this it? The sadness inside him from the loss of Trunks and his brother, was that what was holding him back? But his thoughts were correct. Light and darkness were what he understood best. Goten’s eyes went wide as the truth hit him. His beloved was the brightest light, but she wasn’t the only light, just as Goten wasn’t the only darkness. “I see your game, old man.”

Bardock appeared with a chuckle. “Now you see. It couldn’t be revealed until you understood. Your power is being strangled, held down by two others.”

Trunks and Gohan stared in shock at the ghost. “We’re holding him back?” Gohan said, feeling a bit of panic only for Goten to walk forward.

Goten sat in the middle of the room. “Let me meditate on this. If I’m right about this, it would not only unlock my true power, but save us all.”

* * *

Bra shook her head. They had been training for hours. Her father and Goku were really pushing her. She was panting as her grandfather’s ghost watched them. Just how much further did she need to go? It felt like many days had passed inside this place. She worried about Goten and the others.

“Keep your mind on the here and now,” King Vegeta stated, looking back at her. “You can’t help them.”

“What good is being queen if I can’t help those I love?” Bra said back at him. “I know they’re in trouble.”

“Yes, all of them are facing trials.” The king stood, looking back at the sky. “Besides, Bardock, I bet the other spirits are just enjoying the company as much as I am,” he said sarcastically.

“Why are you so cynical?” Bra asked. “You’ve lived two full lives.”

“I left behind so much. You think it was easy. Leave everyone you ever cared about behind? But I knew my duty, as should you,” the King answered her cry.

Bra thought over her words, but it was Goku who spoke up next. “About the other spirts. Who are they? I know the power of this one is from a frost demon, but what of the others?”

Vegeta nodded. “Yes, I find that idea interesting as well. It will do us good to have a small break before we continue.”

The King sighed. “There is a reason why all of them were chosen. Not just the holders, but those who went with them.”

Vegeta pondered that idea. “I don’t remember seeing who went with who.”

“She should know the answer,” the King stated.

Bra closed her eyes, thinking it over. “Piccolo and Krillin went with Leon…does that mean the wind user was a namek to start with?”

The King nodded. “Yes, quite an annoying one at that. Wind is mastered by one who can remain calm, it seems like something so small, but can be used dangerously in the right hands.”

“Then that makes sense. Piccolo is the calm type, while Krillin doesn’t look dangerous, but if he wants to be…” Goku began.

“What of the others?” Vegeta pondered.

“Uub and Pan went with Habanero. Fire is a power of a metal man,” Bra said, feeling certain in her answers. “Pan is nurturing, while Uub is the rebirth of the evil Buu. It’s a balance act of control and chaos. If that little boy has never known love, he might feel as if he’s back with his parents, calming the flames inside him.”

“Good,” the King stated.

“Norima is with Tien and Yamcha. All of them have a history of being something dark,” Goku said. “She stated that she was a dancer for money. Tien was once an assassin. Yamcha was a bandit.”

“Water washes away all sins,” Bra stated. “It cleanses the mind and soul. The original user was the same as the king.” She turned back to her grandfather. “Father and Goku weren’t chosen for me on power alone.”

Goku and Vegeta looked at each other then back at Bra. “Why then?” The King grinned. She was coming along well.

“Each person stands for something. Ice is held up by strength and power.” Bra turned back pointing at the two of them. “Goku has more raw power, but when it comes to strength, Father has that.” She remained calm as she spoke. “Goten’s stone has to be of saiyan origin. It relays light and darkness, but that’s all I can gather about it.”

“It’s because when Bardock made the thing, he did it secretively. Only he and that pompous, arrogant, jerk would know,” the King said, looking angry.

“What could a saiyan do to be turned into a stone?” Bra asked.

King Vegeta growled. “He believed that a woman couldn’t rule.” Without realizing it, his body turned back into the feminine form. “He tried to woo me on many occasions, and I knocked all of the teeth out of that spark-brained moron.”

Bra giggled. “I guess he really thought he had a chance.” She walked forward, feeling a spark in her chest. Fire…Wind…Water…they were all ready. They had made a step forward. Once Goten made his final step forward, she knew they would all be freed. She closed her eyes, feeling something inside her.

The king smirked. “I see that you’ve finally found it, Child.”

Bra opened her eyes, allowing her revelation to come over her. Her greatest strength, her full power. It all made sense. The will of so many filled her as she felt her body be overwhelmed. The pendent around her neck glowed as the three elements surrounded her. Fire danced, the wind spun around her, Water poured down, washing her doubts away. She pushed her hands outwards, pushing the elements aside, filling the area around her with ice. As her eyes finally opened, Bra stared back at her grandfather. He looked thrilled. “That’s Queen to you.” Her clothes had changed a bit, now the royal crest appeared on her new armor. A mixture of pure white armor with an icy blue jumpsuit covered her frame. She looked down, finding that she had a tail…but it wasn’t blue. Bra turned to find her reflection in ice. Her turquoise hair was gone, replaced with saiyan black. Her blue eyes remained though. “I…”

Vegeta stared back at his daughter. “What?” He took a step forward, looking her over.

“Finally, your true self has come forward. Fate wished to protect you, keeping that camouflage up till the final moment,” the King answered.

Goku grinned. “I guess it makes sense. A saiyan queen should look like one of us.”

Vegeta walked forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. He finally smiled. “Did you just admit that she’s the queen of all saiyans, Kakarot?”

“This time it’s actually true,” Goku said, getting a glare from his rival. “Now when do we get out of here?”

Bra stared back up at the sky. “We are waiting on Goten. When lightening fills the sky, the battle will begin.”

* * *

Goten stayed in meditation for a few hours, looking inside himself. He knew what he was looking for. It was just the journey of finding it. Trunks and Gohan were both being pretty quiet as the younger Son remained focused. It was clear what was needed.

Finally, he was able to relax enough that his body released the forbidden secret within. Two stones appeared in his hands. One black as night. The other glowing pure. He turned to the two of them. “Grandfather hid these here.”

“More stones?” Gohan said, staring down at both of them. “How can there be more? The legend said…”

“Legends can have missing parts,” Bardock said, making them jump. “These two relics were made and concealed inside of me for when the day came.”

“So, you created them without telling the former queen,” Gohan said.

“You were preparing for this day,” Goten answered. “You knew more would be needed in this fight. You do have the sight.”

Bardock’s ghost smirked. “My visions of you were correct, Son Goten. Now, that the power has been removed, your true power has been fully unlocked.”

Trunks wasn’t listening though. All he could hear was a strange sound on the air. “What is that sound?” His eyes remained on the dark rock in front of him.

Gohan was about to ask when he heard it himself when the white one began to sing as well. “It’s almost pretty.”

Goten stared at the two of them. “Take them.” Gohan and Trunks stared at him in shock. “I finally understand. The two of you are what keep me balanced. Bra maybe the light I follow, but Gohan is the one who always pushed me to become better.” His eyes turned to Trunks. “While only one person would dare to walk through the darkness with me.”

“Don’t start making out you two,” Gohan teased, but reached forward, taking his own stone.

Trunks stared back at Goten, still feeling the shock of it. The heir looked down at the stone. Not paying attention to Gohan’s transformation, he reached forward. The second his hand fell on the stone; Trunks felt the bond that had been severed come to life once more. 

Goten stared, watching as their clothes began to change, each baring the royal symbol. Gohan in white, Trunks in black, and Goten in grey jumpsuits. There were some yellow details to Goten’s armor that weren’t there before. Tails had grown back in. “We should train a little before going back,” Goten said. “You two need to learn to use your powers.”

“Let’s make it fast. We have a battle ahead,” Gohan agreed, finding gold lingering on his new armor.

Trunks nodded, taking in the silver markings on his armor. He reached up, moving his hand and finding that he could move the darkness in this place. He smirked. “And when we return, the fun begins.”

To Be Continued…


	15. Chapter 13

Bra looked around as they were transported back to the room where their friends were waiting. She found the Z fighters, along with her chosen soldiers, waiting. She found Leon with a gentlemanly grin on his face. His new armor was decorated in an array of white. Her eyes drifted to the other two, little Habanero was in red, while her former maid was in a dark blue.

“Bra, your hair?” Pan said, looking back at the princess. The youngest Son’s mouth was gaping at her.

“It’s just the real me.” Bra giggled, looking back at her father. The prince was smirking back at her. “Like, I’ve always known this was how I really looked.”

“That is the look of our true Queen. She has come into her own,” Leon stated with a bow. “We haven’t seen Goten yet.”

“He will come. He always does.” Bra walked forward with purpose. “From here we walk forward. One dynasty will fall before the next light and the galaxy will be greeted by the breaking clouds as the sun begins to rise.” Ice shot up the walls. “And I will sit on the top; a new age is upon us. A new way of life has come. Stand with me and do not falter, for this princess is no longer a child. This princess is now a Queen.”

The humans stared at each other, still perplexed by the events that had taken place. They would have thought Bra was crazy if they hadn’t been zapped into the stones before them. Vegeta only grinned, proud of how far his little girl had come. She was a jewel among smooth stones, prepared to head straight for the enemy, just as any saiyan leader would. Her pride was true. A grand Queen she would be.

Goku looked around. “Where is Gohan and Trunks?”

“Remember, they were sent after Goten,+” Vegeta stated. “They would have appeared around him, wherever that would be.”

Sounds of guns fired outside, while Mai ran back, holding her gun facing out of their shelter. She was bleeding. It looked like she had been struck in the arm. “Oh, it looks like you’ve finally joined the party once again.” She looked over at Marron, who had also fallen back. A high powered rifle was shooting off random bullets. “Can someone take that thing away from her? Stick to the books, blondie.”

Bra walked forward. “Don’t worry about it,” the queen said, looking out onto the growing barrage of bullets. She raised her hands, making a wall of ice. Bullets were frozen in place, with nowhere to go. She had made a wall so strong that even grenades made no scratches in her defenses. “This is where you rest, and I take the floor. This is my fight. My throne.” She took a step forward, her warriors behind her. Those chosen by fate to stand by her side, but she still felt the ache of loss. There was still a missing piece…but now it felt as if there were more missing parts. Were there more stones? If anyone would know it would be Goten. She wanted to laugh. Just how many secrets did her lover have? She would discover them all. “Leon, Habanero, Norima make a path,” the queen ordered.

Fire shot out, not only burning, but sending men back. Bombs went off in response to the heat. Each explosion felt as if it were a true show of the power she held.

Waves of water drowned men, while with the vacuumed air pockets, others lost their ability to breath. Around the chaos, the queen stood tall. They didn’t need to protect her. They only need to push off the large numbers after her. Bra could tell that her father and Goku had stayed behind, as did the z fighters. This wasn’t their fight. This was her day.

A rogue solider broke through her relic user wall, running at her with his blaster rifle, a sharp bayonet on the end was aimed at her chest. Bra grinned, flicking her wrist, stopping the alien in his tracks. “I think not. Only a fool would think of attacking me.” Her eyes narrowed as he screamed. She had found the blood in his veins, freezing it instantly. “You think you’re false King will save you? You think he will bring you glory on this day? Oh, what it’s like to be blind.” She brought her fingers together into a fist, watching as the body in front of her collapsed before her. The Queen had seen death before, not really remembering if she had ever dealt the killing blow. She felt the power that came with it. Goten was right, this was in their blood. If she was to be a Queen, she would need to be stern. Her authority would not be questioned. It was the only way to save them. Their people were relying on her to save them from a distant fate. “Anyone else want judgement?” She turned, finding another wall of soldiers. It was to be expected. This was a base of operations for the Patrol. A grand army was before her, ready to die for a man who was undeserving of his crown. “Don’t think you have a chance.”

* * *

Goten took a deep breath. It looked as if they were back in the real world. “Finally, I thought we would never leave.” As he spoke, he laughed. Multiple blasters were pointed at them, only for him to grin. “It looks like the game begins.”

“Think this through, please,” Gohan said, only for Trunks’s hands to fill with darkness at Goten’s side. He sighed, some things never changed.

“No time to think here, Gohan,” Goten said, bringing forth his blade of lightning. “Now is the time to do.”

“Remember, Gohan, he is the General,” Trunks answered, created a blade of his own. “Now follow his lead.”

Goten dove forward first, catching the soldiers around them off guard. “Gohan, keep the high ground,” he shouted. “Trunks and I will take this level.”

“Don’t tell me you have a pun ready,” Gohan said, feeling annoyed. How had he not seen this side all of these years?

“Of course, a pure man such as yourself belongs above us sinners,” Trunks snapped, standing back to back with Goten. Two swords, one of lightning and another darkness appeared, each moving with purpose. It was strange. After fighting with Goten for so long, he never realized how well they still knew each other. They were always a team, somewhere through it all. He forgot the bond they shared. “Long live the Queen,” he shouted, knowing he was now praising his own sister.

“There is only the King!” a scientist snapped back at the duo. “There will never be another saiyan ruler.” The strange alien turned on a machine behind them, hoping to stop them from using Ki. But their abilities remained in place. “What is this? Impossible.”

Gohan watched in shock, now he finally understood. The real reason these relics were needed. “Not impossible. You can’t fight destiny.” Using his own newly acquired powers, he jumped into the fray, bringing forth his own sword. “Now the party really starts.”

Goten grinned, frying more than a few soldiers that were coming his way. “Don’t let up. Remember, they would like to see you dead.”

“Trust me, you don’t have to remind me,” Trunks snarked back. “I can’t believe that we were once on fighting on the same side as them.” He made a pit on the ground, causing the enemy to fall towards a purgatory of darkness. He had no idea what their fates would be, but he had no reason to care at this moment. “And now, they want my baby sister dead. There’s no way I’m allowing that.”

Goten growled under his breath. Just the idea of them laying a hand on his mate disgusted him. Did they think they could win? “Don’t think I will ever allow that.” He agreed with his oldest friend. Under his hand, he fried half of the room. “We must find that octopus,” Goten said with revulsion. They could only stop this by getting their hands on the King. There could only be one ruler.

They broke free of the room, the machinery around them was nothing more than heaps of garbage. Dark hallways were lit as Gohan raised his hand, an open hall awaited them. “It looks like we’ve got a clear path.”

“Either they ran from us, or the battle has started without us,” Goten said under his breath. He heard explosions, answering his own question. “See.”

“I think we all could have come up with that conclusion,” Trunks said, moving forward. His eyes went wide as he caught the chill on the air. “Just how strong has Bra become?”

“It’s as if she’s holding off an entire army by herself,” Gohan said looking over the battlefield before them. The other three were off fighting their own battles. Snow fell from the sky above them. “She’s going all in.”

“She really is, isn’t she Goten?” Trunks turned to find a long stretch of footprints. “He ran off without us.” For some reason, the heir wasn’t shocked as he turned to the genius.

“Of all of us, he won’t stand by.” Gohan grinned. “That’s not just a committed follower of the crown. That’s a man in love.”

“It’s still hard to wrap my mind around it. Goten as my brother-in-law…” Trunks began. “The age difference is a bit…”

“The heart knows what it wants,” the genius said. “Come on, let’s keep going. The others need us.”

“Yeah, now that the ki is free Dad and Goku can join in,” Trunks stated.

“Exactly. This won’t end just yet,” Gohan said under his breath.

* * *

Bra looked up confidently as full ranged tanks sped her way. She found each action fluid. There were no asking questions, only instinct. She knew exactly what she had to do to get results. Each step she took forward filled her with a new sense of liberation. Her fingers tingled as the sky filled with snowflakes. There was laughter in front of her, telling the Queen that they were mocking her power. She flicked her wrist, causing the clouds to grow angrier. The snow began to fall harder, chunks of hail joined it, some at sizes she never dreamed of. Cannons fired but she couldn’t hear them through the growing winds. “Surrender to me and you will live.” Her voice boomed over, echoing through the storm.

The queen only heard more defiance. She growled only for a loud crash to break through the sky. Her eyes dove up as a string of light hit the clouds, crashing down on the tanks and frying the men who thought to mock her. Bra could feel it through the air. The clouds were transporting something new. Electricity. She turned to see him standing there. Snow was in his dark hair as he looked past her at the enemy. “We must continue this fight. Let’s send them back.”

Bra understood. They could enjoy their reunion later. Now it was time for her to deal with the battle ahead. “They still deny me.”

“They have no choice,” Goten said, standing next to her. “I promise, you will have your throne.”

“As long as I have my General at my side, I believe we can make this a smooth transition of power,” Bra said, freezing men in place so that Goten could shock them.

“Nothing says smooth more than a revolt for power.” Goten smirked with a grin. “Take it from a saiyan to rise through battle.”

“I can think of no other way.” She smiled back at him before sending a large icicle through the chests of more than one soldier, leaving what looked like a kabob of aliens on once spear. “They think they can hide that fool from me. Once he’s gone from power, they will stop resisting,” Bra said, looking back, noting how much ground they were covering. “Can you sense him?”

“Bits and pieces. Those squids give off a strange kind of energy. They have no fighting ability so right now, he’s doing nothing but stalling. The more lives lost, the better he looks,” the General stated. He placed both of his hands out, sending out a giant shockwave. The clouds faded from the rush of heat, exposing the battlefield. It was now a barren waste land. Few soldiers remained, all retreating from the queen and her relic users. “The coward has fled the planet, I’m afraid. We must hunt him down.”

“We will do that,” Bra stated, “But before that, we need an army of our own.” She touched the pendent around her neck. “Our people must be freed. It’s the only way we will win this war.”

“I agree,” Goten said as his eyes went wide. During the battle, he hadn’t had a chance to look at her. Raven hair greeted him as he walked around her, noticing the change. His heart raced in a way it hadn’t before. It was only when his eyes found hers that he knew for sure that he was looking at the same woman. The general reached forward, finding a lock of her hair. “This is different.”

Bra giggled. “A saiyan Queen should look saiyan.” She watched his eyes lighten up a bit. “Don’t tell me that you’re about to recite poetry to me now? I don’t think I could take that sappy drivel.”

“Would you prefer my puns?” Goten teased, only for her to grab his face. “Is that a yes?”

The queen giggled. “No, but I know what I do want to say yes to.” He leaned down, kissing her. The link between them felt stronger than before. The same jolts of electricity found their way up her body, making her feel warm.

They were only separated as a cat call was made loudly moments later. The general and the queen went scarlet as not only were the relic users around to bare witness, but those of their families. “I think the last thing I wanted your dad to see was me with my tongue in you’re mouth,” Goten said under his breath.

Bra took his hand, walking forward. “Dad, Brother.” She turned to find Trunks standing there, not really taking in his appearance. “Meet my mate.”

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so bad. I haven't updated for this in a long time. I've actually been working on other projects and forgot I had this written up. Oops.


	16. Chapter 14

Trunks wanted to look back at Goten, but found himself staring at his sister’s new hair color. “What happened there?” he asked, pointing at her head. Her blue locks that made her look so much like their mother were gone. The heir really wanted an answer.

“It was only a form of camouflage,” Bra answered. “Fate knew to hide me until now.” She held Goten’s hand, noticing that he was staring at her hair as well. “I know it’s a big change.”

“No, it suits you,” the General said, knowing better than to anger her. “Now if your eyes changed, I don’t know,” he teased.

Bra rolled her eyes. “Are you saying you’re a sucker for blue eyes?”

“You could say that, You’re Highness.” Goten stood back as he heard a growl. Vegeta was eyeing him. The prince already knew the nature of the General’s relationship with his daughter. Being accepted was practically impossible. Of all of the possible in-laws, Goten had forgotten about Vegeta being a part of this. “Umm.”

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t think that just because my daughter likes you that you get a free pass.” The prince moved closer. “You may have brought her this far, but if I ever learn that you have turned your back on her, I will personally take care of you.” He grinned. “You got that, boy?”

Goten had to hold back his fear. He knew that Vegeta was an imposing force. A force that he never really wanted to be on the bad side of. “I know you don’t trust my words. But I promise on everything I am, as a warrior and a man, I will never leave her side. My loyalty to the crown has brought me this far. I’m her most loyal servant. My position will never overshadow her. It can’t.”

The prince finally grinned. “As long as you admit it.” He looked back at his daughter. “Just never let his head get big, got that?”

“Trust me, you’ll know when that happens,” the queen said with a smile. “He usually starts making puns.”

“I have a crowd to entertain,” Goten said in his defense. “It’s not my fault that all of these perfectly crafted puns land in my lap.”

Trunks laughed. “You’re the only one who enjoys them.” He looked back at his sister. “I do guess that one of us had to have the black hair. It is a more dominant hair color.”

“Yeah, it is kind of strange that the purple and blue got out in the first place,” Gohan said, drawing closer to the group. “I kind of always wondered that.”

“It’s cause the human hair gene is stronger than the saiyan one.” Goten jumped in, getting strange looks from his cohorts. “What? I got bored one day. The only reason Gohan and I have black hair is because of mom. If she were a blonde, we would be blonde as well.”

Vegeta grumbled. “Nothing from a saiyan is weaker than any other race, Boy.”

Goten went quiet, not wanting to get into a fight with the prince. His father joined them as the rest of the relic users ran forward as well. He suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I almost forgot. There are two more relic users now.”

Bra’s eyes went wide. “What? Where?” She followed her General’s eyes to her brother and Gohan. “Armor? How didn’t I notice it?”

“Well, we were all really focused on your hair, instead of the heir…” Goten looked down as she gave him a look that screamed that she would rip his head off for that pun. “Anyway, as far as I could go with my abilities, the last two stones were locked in my body. Once I was able to let go of my anger, I was able to release them from my body.”

“How the hell did they even get there?” Goku said, cocking his head to the side.

Gohan laughed. “They weren’t always there to begin with, Dad. They had to appear when Goten took the lightening stone all of those years ago.” He walked forward. “Mine appears to be a purifying light, while Trunks seems to control shadows. It makes sense. I’ve always been one for study, enlightenment.”

“Then what about Trunks?” Vegeta asked, looking over at his son. He just didn’t see how shadows worked with Trunks.

Trunks turned red. “Well, I did come up with some pretty underhanded pranks back in the day.” He looked away as his father rolled his eyes at him in annoyance. “What? Did you think that those were always Goten’s ideas? He probably would have been just like Gohan if I was never born.”

Goten thought that over. “As much as I hate to admit it, that’s true. I wanted to train at first cause you got to. I only found that I really liked fighting and didn’t want to stop.”

Bra ended up giggling as she tried to imagine both of Goku’s sons as scholars. It was kind of hard to imagine Goten as anything than the man he had become. As she pondered those thoughts, the pendant around her neck began to glow. Looking at the front, she found that the stone in the middle was blinking. The queen removed it from her neck, placing it in the middle of all of her warriors. Bra’s eyes went wide as the pendant changed forms. A string of gold with three emerald stones stood in their place. “What just happened?”

“It must be in phase two. There used to be enough marks for each relic user, plus one for the switch over to this look,” Goten answered. “I’ve heard that it could change, but that’s only on the notes I found. And finding those was practically impossible. Only a few different drives that Frieza had carried that information,” the General answered.

“Speaking of Frieza? When is he going to show up?” Goku asked, thinking about having to not only take down a the galactic king, but the frost demon as well.

Goten turned red. “Oh, we don’t have to worry about that.” Eyes turned to him. “You really think I would have left a loose end like that? His army will serve our purpose now.”

Bra stared up at him in shock. “Wait? How long has he been dead?” She had to think over her words. “The last time you saw him was before we headed to get my relic stone…but that alien that attacked us…”

“He was given those orders by Frieza before I carried out the deed, I’m afraid,” Goten chuckled. “I don’t know if they know that he’s dead. I did shove the body out of an air lock. It’s probably floating around space somewhere.” The general thought it over. “Does a body decay in space?”

“Why is that where you’re mind went with that?” Gohan asked, looking disturbed.

“I’m just curious? Will there be a lizard mummy floating around space for all time or will he eventually break down?” Goten asked seriously.

“Only Goten would ask a question like that,” Trunks said, looking back at his sister. “Now, we have at least one army, but I believe we have another to revive.”

She nodded, closing her eyes and hearing a voice in the back of her head. The Queen knew the combination needed. Bra pushed the stones, each coordinating in a rhythm much like a lullaby. Notes were being played with each movement. In her mind, she heard a song. Its words, bringing forth memories that she knew weren’t hers.

_Look upon the Stars, look to our story_

_Look upon the Moons, look to chase our quarry_

_Look upon the Suns, look upon our glory_

_Let the Queen of Ice rise, taking her throne among the moons_

_Let the Queen of Ice soar, making a crown of ice runes_

_Let her grow wise as the wind, twisting upon the land_

_Let her grow as resilient as water, flowing through the sand_

_Let her grow as passionate as fire, burning the foes we face_

_Let her grow as strong as lightning, striking the rivals we mace_

_Let the light inspire her will, bring forth knowledge from the depths_

_Let the shadows motivate her still, instilling fear in their deaths_

The ground shook under them, changing the look of the pendent once more. This time turning into a crown adorned with sparkling blue jewels. Bra placed it upon her head, feeling her position growing. “Get me a ship.” They almost jumped at her order; the Queen realized that she must have been in a trance while she was singing that long mantra. “Was that too much?”

Vegeta chuckled. “I never thought I would hear our native language again.” He watched her shock. “It must have come naturally.” The prince could tell that all of them looked confused, even Kakarot. Then again, the earth saiyan had left before he had a chance to learn the language to begin with. Galactic standard was just a lot easier. But he was sure that some of their old traditions had been lost forever.

Bra tossed away her father’s comments. She was a woman on a mission. As she stepped forward, she held her hand up. “It’s time.” Everyone looked back to her as a planet appeared within the sky next to them. She smirked. “Let’s get on a ship. I want to face my subjects as soon as possible.” The queen knew that it wasn’t in the same place as it used to be from her father’s expression. As queen, Bra must have had the power to place it where she wished. If she were to rule over the entire galaxy, it made sense that her new home would be within reach of her people. “Has anyone found a ship yet?”

“We will soon,” Goten answered, watching as many of them ran off in search of a vessel. “See what I meant now?”

“Don’t act as if you know everything, my love,” Bra answered, pulling his armor down so she could get him face to face. “There’s still work to do.”

The general grinned. “Never said there wouldn’t be.” He allowed her what she wished. “As long as I’m the only one who gets to share your bed.”

She rolled her eyes. “You really think I would ever desire another? I would be fool to turn you away.” He kissed her nose, sending a familiar jolt down her spine. “Once this is over, I will make sure that we don’t leave my bed for a few days,” she stated.

“Are you in that much of a hurry to make an heir?” Goten teased, only for her hand to slowly drag down his chest, leaving a chill under his armor. His voice became a whisper. “Or do you want to feel just how passionate I can be?”

The queen bit her lip. “I miss your touch.” She felt him dip down kissing her lips softly. “If we make an heir, then so be it.”

Goten couldn’t help but groan under his breath, only to pull back. He could sense the return of the others. “Your father is returning.” The last thing he wanted was to be caught groping the queen. Vegeta may have approved for now, but that didn’t mean that he was going to be happy to find them locked in a suggestive embrace.

Vegeta looked over the two of them before rolling his eyes. Both of them were blushing. He growled a bit. “The ship is ready. Come now.”

Bra nodded, taking Goten’s hand as she headed towards her destiny.

To Be Continued…


	17. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg another chapter...looks like I'm cooking with oil again.

The ride on the ship was silent. There was an awkward feeling in the air. Some of the humans were still staring at Bra. Her orders were being followed without question, even Vegeta was listening to her. A few would jump when Goten growled at them, probably from how much they were staring at what was his.

Bra paced. She felt a bit nervous. She hadn’t met any pure blooded saiyans besides her father and Goku…excluding the vision of her grandfather in the stone. How would they react to the news of having a queen? Would they listen to her or attempt a coup? Goten walked over, placing his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them as he stood behind her. “You seem quiet,” he said, whispering in her ear.

She turned around to face him. “Those other saiyans have no idea that we’re coming. They are bound to be stunned by these events. I can only imagine how I would feel if a new ruler showed up out of nowhere.”

“They will listen to reason,” Goten answered, trying to calm her nerves.

“And what if they don’t?” Bra asked, watching him smirk. “Is brute force always an answer you have?”

Goten laughed. “Have you seen our kind? Sometimes that’s the only way to get things across. We’re a warrior race. If you have to be a warrior queen, then put those fools in their place. Trust me, I won’t hesitate to knock a few skulls in for tarnishing your name.”

Finally, she smiled. “So loyal, General Son, or are you just trying to get in my pants?” Bra teased.

“As much as I would love some alone time, any threat to you is my greatest concern. If there is a reason for you to question my loyalty, then have my head removed from me. Place me in the greatest torture you can think of, for that would be the greatest crime I could ever commit.”

Bra blushed. “How can you make decapitation sound seductive?” She was bright red now.

“I wasn’t trying to be.” Goten blushed as he noticed there were eyes on them again. He growled. “Keep to your own business.”

“Kind of hard to when you make it so public,” Pan said under her breath.

Goten crossed his arms over his chest. “You know eavesdropping is rude.” He got a few looks sent his way. “What?”

“Now you’re going to talk about proper etiquette?” Pan snapped back. “After all of the grief you put Grandma through for this stunt of yours?” It looked as if his niece was still angry with him for his actions. “Seriously, you’ve sent her into a real mental state.”

“Then maybe, she shouldn’t have made my childhood a prison,” Goten said, getting a darker glare from Pan. “She spent so much time holding me back.”

“She was trying to help you, like she did with Dad,” Pan began.

“You don’t get to lecture me,” Goten growled. “No spoiled child gets to stand here and question me. Got it?” His voice had gone dark as his full glare was fully directed as his niece as Uub stood up and attempted to walk over to Bra. Goten snarled, placing arm in the distance between them. There was no way he was letting anyone get close to his queen. “Stand down, human.”

“Come on, Goten, calm down. I’m not going to do anything,” Uub began.

“That’s right. You’re gonna sit back down and not try anything.” Goten looked over, finding Pan in a fighting position. He chuckled. “You know not to test me, right?”

“Get your hands off my boyfriend!” she shouted. “You selfish bastard.”

Goten’s eyes narrowed. “You know nothing about me. A simple answer from a simple mind.” He pushed Uub down the floor, keeping his eyes on Pan. He knew it was a bad idea to fight here. They were in close proximity as well as in a tin can in the middle of space. “You realize fighting here will only kill us all. This tin can isn’t equipped for battle, either inside or out.”

“Then stand down,” Pan said, keeping her gaze hot.

Bra walked forward, noticing the tension on the air. “He will not stand down. It’s not in him to do so. You’ve stood here and attempted to wound his pride. That’s a crime in and of itself. Stand down, Pan. You won’t win this fight. Not by a long shot.”

“So, I’m just supposed to accept how he talks about Grandma…about his own mother!” Pan snapped, only to watch as Goten stood in front of Bra protectively. “I don’t get either of you. First, you both run off. Away from home being as selfish as possible, then you get rewarded for it. It must be nice.”

Bra narrowed her eyes, pushing past Goten. He stood behind her, trusting her in this moment. “Are you angry at us or at yourself for not doing the same?” Pan gaped at her. “You could have left home. I for one was tired of always being shut out. You got to do things we didn’t. Stop trying to play the victim here. Did anyone ever stop you from training? Have you ever even been told no from anyone?” Pan stared at her, almost going red from embarrassment. “You didn’t have to watch your father and brother leave without you every few months. You didn’t have to question your own worth because they refused to teach you. Pan, you never had to worry about a thing.”

“I had to worry about him killing me.” Pan pointed at her uncle, trying to rally her thoughts.

“And if he really wanted to kill you, he would have done it,” Bra said, her words like venom. “Do you think he would have gone so easy on you if he had planned on killing you? The fact that everyone from Earth is alive should answer your question.”

“We had enough protection on Earth,” Uub began.

“Not when all of you were lightyears away. Even with Goku’s instant transmission, it would have been impossible,” Bra said confidently. “And if he hated Earth so much, why not send Frieza’s men there to destroy it? You know, strike while the iron is hot.”

Goten grinned down at the queen. The power coming off of her was more than a little arousing. She held herself so well. It was getting harder to keep his hands off of her. “It’s nice having someone with a brain around here.”

“You only say that cause you’ve been programmed to adore her,” Uub said as Vegeta and Goku walked in. Gohan with Trunks followed from the back of the ship. “If you had stayed on Earth would you have even batted an eye at her?”

Goten snarled. “Are you calling my Queen ugly?” He picked up Uub by the neck, pinning him up against the ship wall. “You’re not just a fool, but blind as well.”

“You only think this way cause that stone made you,” Pan agreed with Uub. “Now let him go!”

Goten chuckled. “I don’t take orders from you.” He looked back at Bra as Uub began to turn blue. “What do you think?”

Bra walked forward. “I think that’s enough, Goten. You’ve proved your point.” She gave him a smile which he returned. Uub dropped to the floor gasping for breath. Bra brought herself down so that she was eye level with the human. “Oh, and just so you know, if I was able to control Goten like that, he would refrain from using puns in my presence.”

Goten ended up laughing. “Someone has to lighten the mood. Frieza had quite the chilly response to them as well.” She gave him a glare and grinned. “But in all seriousness, if I had never had the stone, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“See,” Pan said with a smirk. “I told you tha…”

“I’d probably be dead, actually,” Goten said, cutting into Pan’s sentence. “I was going nowhere. If a fight didn’t kill me, then I might have taken things into my own hands.” Goten gave the idea some thought, only for Gohan to walk up and shake him. “What?”

Trunks and Gohan were both pale. The heir sighed. “Let’s not think about your corpse.” He turned back to Pan. “Give it a rest. In-fighting is what got us here in the first place.”

“You have those things in you now, so of course you side with them. Remember how much you wanted to kill Goten?” Pan snapped.

“Pan, enough,” Gohan said looking down at his daughter. She looked up at him with a puzzled look. “Don’t speak about what you don’t understand.”

“I used to understand everything. You and Grandpa trusted me out here,” Pan began. “And now I can’t know anything, seriously?! What makes Goten and Bra so special?!”

The ship made a loud beeping as they began to enter the atmosphere of the planet below. “We’ll take about this later,” Goten shouted, pushing forward towards the cockpit. They had the ship on auto fly. “These junkers can’t handle a landing in an atmosphere this volatile.” He pushed himself into the seat, motioning for Trunks to take the other spot. “You pull up on those thrusters.”

Trunks seemed a bit lost as Goten pushed different buttons. “What are we doing?” he said, looking at his friend.

“Giving us a glimmer of hope,” Goten answered, shutting down the engines. “We have enough thrust to get through.” He looked back. “Everyone brace yourselves!” Going back to the controls, he could see the jagged land below them. Houses appeared in clusters around clear mountains. Goten steered the ship away from the village and towards a clear landing. It looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Then again, it had been about 50 years or so.

Trunks was panicking. “We’re going to crash.”

“What was your first clue?” Goten said, looking back at the other relic saiyans. “Leon, control the air outside. Try to slow us down a bit!” He stood from his seat. “Habanero control the flames. Norima flood the ground a bit, give us more traction!” The ship hit the ground, but he didn’t move an inch. He went back to his seat in the cockpit, hitting the brakes. “Hold on!” He shouted to the rest of the ship, watching as different alarms began to go off. The ship skidded for a while before finally coming to a stop a few moments later. Goten took a deep breath before looking back at everyone. Trunks was staring at him. “Everyone okay?” he asked, noting that the doors had been sealed shut from the heat. He jumped forward, bashing his elbow into the metal, making it snap open. “Get out!” He could smell fuel leaking. He sighed as he was stared at. They were all looking at him as if he had grown another head. “What is everyone doing? Get moving? Can’t you smell that?”

Bra giggled, walking past him. “I guess those years under Frieza really did prep you for this.” She took her first step onto the planet and felt as if her body had anchored itself. There were others after her, and once she felt all of them leave the ship, she froze it in place to keep it from exploding into flames. “So, this is it.”

Vegeta looked around, finding a cluster of rocks. He stared at them with a grin. They had been carved into. “We’ll I’ll be…it really is home.” Bra and Trunks came up, finding different names carved into the rock, both freezing as they found their father’s name not just once but four times. “What kind of fate it has to be to land here. Father made me and my brother carve our names here as royals when we were children.” He touched the rock. “I am the forth Vegeta after all.” He watched as his daughter stepped forward as did Trunks and smirked as the two of them carved their own names into the rock.

Goku looked around, finding other boulders lying around. “Wow…how many of these are out here?” He looked at Vegeta. “Does every family have a rock?”

“Depends on how important their family was.” Vegeta said, watching Kakarot frown. “If your father was an advisor to my father, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t have one himself.”

Goku brightened up as Gohan called him over. They stared down at the rock. Goku ran over, shocked to not only find his name on it, but Goten’s. “I guess my father thought to go ahead and add that.”

Goten had gone over to find his name on the rock. His eyes went wide. “That old fart thought of everything.”

Gohan laughed. “He must not have known about me though.” He dove down to put his own name on there as well before looking over. “Hey dad…I didn’t, think Raditz had any children.”

Vegeta heard them, looking over at the Sons. “He shouldn’t have had any.” The prince walked over finding a name scratched out almost as if it was faded with time under Raditz’s name. “Raditz died on Earth. He never showed signs of finding a mate.”

Goten cleaned off the name, his eyes going wide. “What if he didn’t die on Earth?” They all looked at the general. “He might have come back to life on Earth then chose to leave it behind. If he thought he was free of Frieza, then he probably started his life over.”

Goku looked down at his son. “So where is he?”

“He died again. Taken down by the patrol on Bestin. There was a small group of saiyan survivors there. The Galactic King already feared the prophesy…but he missed one child.” Goten turned back away from the rock as Gohan and Goku stared down at one name. Habanero.

To Be Continued…

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is just the prologue to the story, basically, setting up whats going to happen later. When we get to the actual romance, Goten should be around 29 and Bra 18. This story also takes place in the super timeline, up until the end of the current anime. So nothing after the 12 universe tournament.


End file.
